Survivor's Sorrows
by CryingNevermore
Summary: Light won, Kira rules the world and now keeps L's lover as his pet 'nightingale'. Trapped in a cage without an escape, she lives a miserable excuse for a life. This is Evangeline's world. This is her story.
1. Prologue

**CryingNevermore: Thank you so much if you're reading this, it's my first posted fic. I don't own Death Note, but I do own Evangeline, Samantha and various other OC's. Please rate and review!**

I learned that the schools throughout the world are beginning to institute a curriculum about the Savior Kira, about how theorists believe he is an angel once fallen from heaven but raised once more, promising to protect the weak, and people accepted him as their God. Those from my generation know that isn't the case, but the children born after the initial 'battle' will never know otherwise, as it has been stricken from public record and the truth forbidden to be talked about.

In truth, Kira only began to gain momentum after the first famous confrontation between him and L that resulted in the death of Lind L. Taylor, and the world's attention was directed at the mystery detective for the first time.

That is when the media began giving the case attention; first by claiming that they were both creations of the police, the real culprit behind the murders of criminals via heart attacks. People became confused, first denying the Kira could exist, and then all hell broke loose.

By the time that the detective L was killed, no one trusted anyone anymore. People to whom you weren't related were kept at an arms distance (figuratively, of course). Crimes went underground, if committed, and the police were almost never called. Of course, there were those who used it to their advantage, and reported false crimes against those that they begrudged. It soon became obvious that in those cases, both were killed.

Light Yagami envisioned a world where there was only good, and only those he judged worthy to live. He wanted a Utopia. Light sought to create A world where he, the most good, ruled as God.

He succeeded, of course, costing lives more than can be counted, including those of his most trusted allies (two of whom he promised would become his queens, ruling at his side once the world gave sway to Kira), and kept several trophies; some living testaments to his 'virtue' (like myself), others merely documented victories.

Sometimes, I wonder; does he ever look down from his ivory tower at the suffering of the masses that he created? Does it ever register, in his ill mind, that he is just as evil as the rest of humanity?

As a…survivor, of the infamous battle between L and Kira, I knew them both better than anyone else.

I remember what created this situation that I am in; I wasn't present at the beginning, unfortunately, but I entered the story at one of the most vital parts. And I still stand here, at the end.

No one knows my side of the story, but no one knows of my existence. Not now, here, locked away from the rest of the shivering masses of people, a toy to a ruthless murderer.

There is nothing to do, living out my days in a gilded prison like I am, waiting for him to finally write my name in that damned notebook (except to maybe talk with Ryuk about events in history that he remembers, and having him hint about my lifespan or try to trick me into making the deal for the eyes or to get a notebook as well).

He hasn't succeeded just yet, though, and I'm not desperate enough to ask for him outright.

Tonight though, he is staying away from the lofty cage given to Light's Nightingale (Light's nickname for me). I know what that means, and I feel sick, thinking of all that could have been, once upon a time.

"_Run away with me, Eve?"_

"_Pardon me?"_

"_When the case is over, and Kira is stopped, run away with me? The two of us can hide away from the rest of the world, away from their problems."_

"_Do you mean that?" _I remember thesoft, gentle hands brushing my hair from my face.

"_Of course I do. We can be happy together, Evangeline."_ The warm embrace, the smell of cotton and sweets, and the feeling of love.

Kira does not love me. But he is not Light, he is Kira; God of the Utopia. Light Yagami was as good as dead when he touched the notebook the second time and regained his memories. I believe that Light may love me, but Kira hates me. He despises that I am still alive, I think. He would have wanted a pawn to manipulate easier, such as Misa; but Light desired me, and so I live, or my body does, even though most of my soul is crushed. But I will not assist him in his reign of terror, and so they've locked me from the view of the public with armed guards, and Plexiglas that will not break, and someone to clean to ensure I won't swallow cleaning products to end my (miserable) life.

Light may have love for me, but he hates that I don't feel the same. He despises that I hold love for the one person that he least expected, and ridicules me for it in the midst of his dark moods, sometimes.

Light will never know, of course, that He gave me a gift, to show me that he meant his promise; a silver ring with a single ruby, like a drop of blood; my birthstone against my favorite metal. It's hidden under the flooring in the back corner of the closet.

It was meant to be a promise, now it is only a bittersweet reminder of what never will be.

So here I wait, in the shadows of this loft, knowing that the inevitable will occur again, but knowing that I will fight him as well.

The ghosts of the past haunt me as I hear the ding of the elevator across the narrow hall, the sounds of him greeting the guards, the locks being undone.

The past and the present collide once more.

**Okay, what do you think? There's more to come, but I thought that this would be a good way to set it up. I swear that everything will make more sense later on, just bear with me! Read and review! **


	2. An Interesting Year

**I don't own Death Note, just Evangeline, Samantha and various other characters that aren't in the original series. Please review, comments would be appreciated!**

The scene was like something from a fairytale, Evangeline thought, as she hurried to the auditorium for the opening ceremony. Indeed, it was something similar to that; the sun shone brilliantly, almost mockingly against a sky the same color blue as a robin's egg, with only the faintest whispers of clouds in the distance. The campus cherry trees' were in full bloom, the blossoms drifting on the gentle breeze.

To-Dou University; Tokyo, Japan

Evangeline's black ballet flats pounded against the stone walk as she broke into a run, trying desperately to not be late.

According to the large clock mounted on the wall of the west building, she had approximately 2.5 minutes to get into the doors, find a seat and act like she hadn't been running for her (academic) life.

The old man who was shutting the entrance doors caught sight of her just as he had been about to close the heavy metal doors, and was kind enough to hold them open for her as she frantically waved her arms to show him not to lock her out.

"You'd better hurry, Miss, the ceremony's about to start." He called as she ran past him, throwing a hurried "Thanks!" over her shoulder at him, along with a relieved grin. "Crazy kid." He muttered to himself, smiling affectionately.

She just made it through the doors, as the chairman of the school board walked on stage.

"Eva!" Someone whisper-shouted, she locked eyes with her friend and hurried over, practically in tears when she saw the open seat.

"Thanks so much, Sam!" Evangeline breathed, patting her friend on the shoulder; Samantha grinned, just as the lights were dimmed.

"Why were you so late? You almost missed it?" Evangeline blushed, looking away.

"I shut off my alarm clock when it woke me up. I woke up an hour later. Can you tell?" Sam giggled; amused by her friend's antics, even though she was the one who forced her to get up at this ungodly hour to attend the ceremony.

"No, you clean up nice. But your hair-" She didn't bother to finish that sentence when she caught Evangeline's steely glare in the half light.

Originally from the States, Samantha Herman and Evangeline Evers had been best friends since their freshman year of high school. They were inseparable, even though the two of them were very different, in both appearance and personality. Decided to follow their teenage fantasy of attending college in Japan, they had applied to several different universities in the Kanto region, and had been delighted to find out they had both been accepted at To-Dou.

"Hey, the student body reps are getting called up." Eva said excitedly, leaning forward, trying to get a better look at the stage.

"I thought there was only one?" Sam questioned curiously.

"Usually; but this year two students both got 100, so there are two of…holy shit." Eve stared at the stark contrast between the two teens on the stage.

One could have been a stand in as Edward in the Twilight movie, or the model in a fashion magazine with burnt sienna hair framing his face neatly. He wore a suit and tie, and looked proud to be there.

The other had messy black hair, pallid skin and wide, bulging black eyes with deep bags like bruises under them; unlike his opposite, he wore baggy blue jeans and a white cotton long sleeve, he was hunched over and, as he read his speech, Eva and Sam got the impression he didn't give a flying fuck about being here, despite the florid speech.

"Is he really a genius?" Sam asked under her breath.

"How should I know? I'd kill for a hundred, I was lucky to get a 92."

"86." Sam whined, leaning back.

"You didn't study, did you?" Eve teased, poking her in the shoulder.

"That, my friend, is a secret." Sam dodged neatly, making Eve stifle laughter.

Evangeline and Samantha watched the ceremony attentively, or tried, but both of their gazes kept straying to the two representatives down in front, near the center aisle. The messy one, the one Eve vaguely recalled was named Ryuuga, sat directly behind the other, and was leaning forward, whispering something to him.

Whatever was said, made Tidy freeze up slightly, then relax.

Evangeline crossed her legs and tapped Samantha's arm calmly, only to receive a tap on the knee in confirmation. She had seen it as well.

The ceremony dragged on and on and on, until half the audience was asleep and the other half was texting.

"And I hope all of you will live up to the expectations of this school, for now, have a wonderful term!" Sam sighed in relief as the audience hurried to get out, but the two of them took their time, talking animatedly about their current apartments (they couldn't afford to live on campus), and the courses they'd been accepted to.

"I managed to snag a spot in literary thesis of the 21st century, what about you?" Sam asked, folding her coat over an arm.

"Battles that shaped the current European empire, along with psych." Eve grinned; they were her two top picks, both popular classes for the freshman year.

"Ugh, you are such a brain." Sam whined, nudging her bestie playfully as they emerged with the crowd back outside into the sunshine.

The two of them thoroughly enjoyed the weather changes in Tokyo; it was January and things were still blooming!

Samantha was a petite young woman; she fit the profile of a pixie or an imp to a tee, with her small, slender stature and delicate build. Of course, anyone who spent more than 5 minutes with her realized that it was protective covering, as Samantha was one of the most vigorous and active of teens. Her pale brown hair was put up today in a stylishly messy bun, with several curled ringlets framing her face. That day, Samantha wore a plum colored turtleneck sweater dress, black tights, and black leather low heel boots; on anyone else, the outfit would have incited giggles, but it set off to perfection her pale, honey highlighted skin and the golden brown eyes that sparkled them crystalized amber behind the frames of her glasses.

Evangeline was a contrast to her friend; she was taller than the average woman in Japan, standing at 5'8'', like her friend, she was pale, only her skin seemed more unhealthy because it was without highlights. Her hair was, at first glance, black, but in the sunlight it was a deep ebony color highlighted with red and hazel; when Evangeline moved, it was like she was walking in her own private windstorm, her hair would have been curly, but it was thick and long, it was only a wavy mass that looked messily stylish. Evangeline had decided, the night before, to wear a grey pencil skirt and business jacket, with a black collared formal shirt and black ballet flats (she wasn't in the mood to torture her feet). Her burgundy framed glasses made her eyes seem that much more catlike.

"So, what do you think?" Eve asked Sam as they left the campus and prepared to go their separate ways.

"I get the feeling this is going to be an interesting year, Eve." Sam replied, grinning fit to split her face.

"Maybe you'll consent to wearing a dress." Evangeline teased.

"Or you'll get a boyfriend." Sam jived, earning a playful glare and a blush.

"That's even less likely." She complained, only to get poked harshly in the shoulder as a punishment.

"I swear that I will get you a boyfriend this year. It's college, the best years of our lives, and you are not going to waste them studying!" Samantha declared heroically (cue the Might Gai pose).

"Careful, Sammy, your ego is showing." Eve patted her confused friend on the cheek before walking away, ready to just go back to bed and sleep the day away.

**So? Good? Bad? Tell me what you think!**


	3. Tennis

**Once more, I don't own Death Note. Thank you.**

"_Speaking English"_

_Thinking_

Evangeline had never, in her life, been in early riser. No matter what time she went to bed, it was physically impossible for her to wake up any earlier than 6 in the morning unless someone's life was on the line.

Thankfully, because her classes began at 11, meaning she didn't need to get up so early, and she had time to ease into her mornings slowly, a luxury she planned on using to its fullest whenever she could.

The apartment was on the top floor; it was just this side of small, pleasantly cramped and decorated to suit her tastes already (she'd moved in the week before and spent the entire time turning the place into home); blooming plants, paintings and small knickknacks that all seemed to proclaim the space as hers.

"…I'm gonna kill the rooster, I'm gonna kill the rooster, I'm gon' kill that rooster, la la la la la," Evangeline sang softly to herself, pulling the black clinging long sleeve over her head and shaking out her hair before slipping into a pair of black slacks and black flip flops. She didn't bother with any jewelry, except for a metal half heart necklace (the other half belonging to Samantha), before wandering out to her living room.

The room was small, to some, but she preferred the word 'cozy'; as it was she had spent many nights as an unhappy high-schooler imagining a place like this; and now it was like a dream come true.

Evangeline was happy; she was going to a great school with her best friend, far away from her overbearing relatives, and life looked wonderful from her standpoint.

A quick glance at the clock had her grabbing her keys and tossing them into her open black messenger bag (she'd had it since her freshman year of high school, and by now it was a bit faded, admittedly), along with a book (she never left the house without at least one) and her fully charged cell phone.

A minute later (after the nerve wracking elevator-ride that had her praying for her life), she emerged onto the street, breathing in the fresh air deeply, and choking on the smog from the city.

Samantha and she had grown up in the country in the Midwest; it had been a bit of a shock, this change of scenery. There were no trees; these little twigs that were city permitted, here and there, that looked half dead, were weeds playing pretend. Trees were huge, proud oaks and maples and sycamores standing at least 15 feet tall, reaching toward the sun, piercing the sky. The air was denser here, and the crowds didn't care about you at all.

It was a small price to pay, though, she supposed, before starting the 10 minute journey to campus.

Evangeline planned to get an idea of the grounds so that she wouldn't panic trying to read the map that had been supplied to her, as part of her orientation packet. She was hoping to run into Sam and then they could grab breakfast in the caf, maybe, or not. They'd see each other by the end of the day, as they both had Japanese Dynasties as a last class of the day.

It caused no small amount of pride to Evangeline that these were all courses that her aunt and uncle would condemn, stating that they were slacker courses on a dead end career path. Despite having turned 18, she still carried a rebel streak when it came to the two of them, even if she'd donated the goth and punk ensemble she'd worn for most of her teenage years.

The city also sported wonderful little stores that Evangeline loved to discover; it was almost like being a small child again, exploring her ancient grandparent's century old house. There was no telling what you could find around this corner, or between those rooms, if you looked around hard enough. It brought a sense of childish wonder to her, and she hadn't brought Sam along on these excursions, because of the irrational fear of ridicule.

Already, she'd found several curiosity shops, a book store, a café that doubled as a karaoke bar on weekends and plenty of corner marketers.

She stopped in front of a table filled with cheaply priced paperbacks and browsed, chatting easily with the seller.

Life was good.

Sam had been waiting for Evangeline for 15 minutes, later that morning, before the tennis court caught her attention.

People were laughing, wandering around and enjoying the day with the kind of joy and cheerfulness that made her blood boil.

It was plain to see who'd bought their way in and who actually worked, like her and Eve had done. The coasters were grinning and having a good time, while the worker drones hurried with backs bowed from the injustice.

_It's like high school all over again._ She thought bitterly, wishing she could handle a cup of coffee to settle herself down.

Here is a fact about Samantha, just one of many you'll find; some people are able to have large amounts of coffee without any problems or effects. Then there is Sam; naturally hyperactive, a cup of coffee automatically jolted her natural energy into something similar to that of 5,000 Energizer Bunnies, only she didn't look nearly as cool, and often got violent.

There were times when she just wanted all of these idiots, the foolhardy coasters that would never be of use to society, to burn away and leave her alone.

Dark thoughts such as these often penetrated her mind when she was alone, and Sam desperately tried not to think of them. They would only get her into trouble, and that was the last thing that she needed.

Sam sighed and rubbed at her temples, before realizing that there was a commotion over by the tennis courts, where students were running excitedly.

Sam raised an eyebrow and deliberated; did she want the full blown headache that would come with following the crowd (literally)? Or would she rather let it bother her for the rest of the day? Decisions, decisions…

In truth, Sam probably wouldn't have gone to see what the fuss was about if she hadn't seen Evangeline drifting towards the tennis courts as well.

"Hey! Eva!" Sam shouted, trying to get her attention, but was either unheard or ignored. Logically, due to the noise, Sam knew that Evangeline hadn't heard her; that was all, and ran towards her quickly retreating form.

The crowd was whispering, and an excited feeling buzzed through the air like electricity; Sam fought her way through, trying to find that conspicuous head of dark hair belonging to her friend.

"Watch it!" She snarled as someone stepped down, hard, on her foot.

"You watch it, small fry!"

"You have exactly half a second to step off before I show you why women are called psychotic." A _very_ familiar voice hissed, directly behind Sam, she whirled around happily and hugged Eve round the middle.

Evangeline grinned at her petite friend.

"What would I do without you?" Sam asked, smiling brightly.

"Get trampled?" Eve replied, knowing that it was a joke.

Samantha, though small, was a little firecracker, and easily could handle herself. However, after multiple incidents where the police had been called (although no formal charge was filed), Sam had worked desperately to keep her…homicidal temper in check. People often underestimated her because of her bright attitude around people and penchant for laughter, but that was the last mistake that several people ever made.

Evangeline had seen farther past the mask than many, though admittedly didn't know what the complete face of Samantha truly looked like (she tried desperately every chance she got, though), and knew that her friend didn't need protection, per say, but help protecting _others_ from herself.

So it became something of a private joke between the two of them; Evangeline saving the people from Sam's wrath, while others who didn't know better thought she was protecting the fragile looking imp.

"So it would seem. So it would seem," she stood up on tip toe, squinting around. "What's going on?"

"There's a tennis match between the freshman reps. and it's getting heated-holy shit!" Evangeline stared in shock, and Sam cursed her lack of height as she began jumping up and down to try and get a better look.

"What? What just happened?" Sam whined, actually thinking about climbing her friend like a tree to get a peek.

Eve glanced around before catching sight of the bleachers; they were already filled to the brim with spectators, no chance of catching a seat. The rigging though…

"Come on!" She grabbed Sam by the sleeve and dragged her around the bleachers to the back which was deserted.

"What are we doing?" Sam asked, eyes glowing with the prospect of causing trouble.

Eve ignored her for a moment…then grabbed the metal backing of the bleachers, yanking hard; they didn't move an inch, and she carefully set a foot down on the lowest rail and put all her weight on it. The base was steady; it wouldn't budge.

Eve grinned triumphantly over her shoulder at Sam, who immediately understood.

In high school, the two of them were often late to the few sporting events they bothered to attend, and ended up with terrible seats. The problem was solved when they discovered that it was possible to climb up the back of the bleachers as easily as the monkey bars once they'd gotten the hang of it.

Sam climbed up first, eagerly jumping from rung to rung, eager to find out what she'd been missing.

Eve was slower, taking her time (she was bigger, she was far likelier to fall than Sam), before emerging beside her friend at the top, higher up than the other spectators, with a better view.

The game was intense; the ball was hardly visible, save for when it almost crashed through the fence, occasionally. The two students were blurs, but they vaguely got the glimpse of a proper tennis outfit on one, and a rather normal outfit on the other.

"Jesus Christ," Eve whispered.

She spoke so quietly, only Sam could have heard her, and yet Ryuga stopped dead in the middle of the match and looked up at her.

Light watched dumbly as the ball flew past Ryuga, clearly in reach of his racket, as the young man stared at something.

"Er…Rygua? Everything alright?" He called casually, but he didn't reply immediately.

Curious, Light turned to look and tried to pick out the face that would capture the attention of the detective L, and almost missed it.

There were two young women, and they stood on the back of the bleachers, perfectly comfortable, and apparently they'd been watching the game. One of them had pale brown hair, and the other's hair was pitch black, but that was all he could make out from this distance.

Light's eyesight, while it was very good, wasn't quite as good as L's, built up from years of darkrooms, staring at computer screens; he could see Evangeline's face almost perfectly, and he could certainly see her eyes.

Evangeline stared right back at him, blood rushing to her face for some unknown reason. She could see the pitch blackness of those eyes; unfathomable and endless, despite how far away he was.

"Ryuga!" Light shouted, finally gaining the detective's attention again.

"Pardon me, Yagami-kun, I was distracted." And then the game continued, although the dark haired man's mind buzzed, trying to identify why that girl was so high up.

"What the hell was that about?" Sam demanded, glaring at Eve, who looked a bit shell shocked.

Her friend was distracted, and she looked abnormally pale, save for the patches of blood red color on her cheeks, which wasn't a blush, but due to a hereditary skin condition, and was normal. Her eys were trained on Ryuga, but her mind was obviously elsewhere.

"I don't know what you mean, Sam." Eve replied smiling sadly.

"Bullshit. Why were you and Ryuga staring at one another?"

"He could have been staring at anyone, Sam, not just me. There's a whole bleacher full of people." Eve lied coly, even though she was absolutely certain that it was her he'd stared at.

Eve frowned, when Light won the match, but the both of them flinched when the gathered girl let out a simultaneous shriek that could have been choreographed or CGI'd.

Eve bit her lip before climbing down quickly.

"Sam, come on." She ordered.

"Eve? Hey, wait!" Sam scrambled after her friend, clinging to the rigging for dear life, before throwing caution to the wind and just dropping to the ground beside her.

Evangeline hurried through the rapidly dissipating crowd, Sam barely keeping up with her (once more, shortness sucks).

"Excuse me!" Eve called, and Sam realized with a jolt what she was doing.

Ryuga and Light had been chatting when they approached, and Sam knew instinctively that it _was_ Eve that he'd been staring at, but wisely said nothing (Sam may have been the one most predisposed to be violent, but Evangeline could kick someone's ass if provoked, and it wasn't merciful, either).

"Excuse me, we were watching the match, congratulations on the win by the way," she looked at Light briefly before looking up at Ryuga again. "But where did you learn to play like that?" It wasn't a flirty question, she didn't smile while she asked, Eve was just curious.

"Why were you two on the backs of the bleachers?" Light countered smiling amusedly.

"Because we couldn't see." Eve said simply, as if anyone could think of it.

"I've lived in England for 5 years, tennis has been a pastime." Ryuga informed; his eyes unblinking as he memorized her face easily.

"Did you two enjoy the game?" Light gave what was one of his winning smiles (one that would turn any girl it was directed at into a brainless pile of mush), but neither of the girls seemed fazed.

"It was alright. We aren't really sports goers, and neither of us has any clue how to play tennis." Sam shrugged, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"_So you speak English?"_ Eve asked Ryuga (in the language).

"_Of course I do. I'm surprised that you do as well, your Japanese is so fluent."_

"_My friend and I are from the United States originally, we're going to college here."_ Eve giggled; she knew that her Japanese, while she could speak it, still had the accent, and it was his attempt at flattery.

"_What are you majoring in, Miss…?" _Eve blushed in embarrassment, realizing that she'd forgotten to introduce herself.

"Evangeline. I am Evangeline Evers, and this is my friend Samantha." Evangeline finally introduced, smiling nervously.

Light's head was spinning; the girls were immune to his charm and what was worse, Ryuga was the one that was the subject to conversation instead of him. Was the world beginning to end? He subtly began glancing at the sky for any sign of raining fire.

"Man, Light, I've never seen you so agitated." Ryuk snickered drifting over.

"Fascinating names, are you named after the sonnet?" Evangeline sighed and nodded.

"My mother was an English professor and wrote a thesis on the damn thing for her end of term exam, senior year in college." Eve admitted, Sam grinned.

"Something unique for a changeling." She teased; Eve glared at her so ferociously that it would have melted the polar icecaps.

"Yagami-kun and I were just about to go get something to eat. Would you care to join us?" Ryuga offered, surprising even himself.

"That would be great!" Sam accepted immediately, her face lighting up at the prospect of a free meal.

"It wouldn't be interrupting the two of you?" Eve asked, finally glancing at Light again.

"No of course not. It would be wonderful if you two would join us." Light replied, smiling that smile again, she sighed.

"Well I can't just leave Sammy alone, can I?" She asked, poking her friend in the shoulder. "After all, as far as we know, one of you could be Kira, after all."

**Okay! That's chapter 2 (not counting the prologue)! I would love to hear what everyone thinks, so please, review. As of now, I have all of two comments, and I'm a bit disappointed about that. Thank you everyone who added this onto your Favorite Stories listing, I'm so grateful about that (you know who you are).**

**I'm only going to be able to update maybe once a week for reasons I can't elaborate on, so bear with me, please. Thank you.**


	4. Lunch

**Alright, here we go. I don't own Death Note or any of the characters (unfortunately ), but I do own Eve and Samantha, so if you've decided to stick with this little project, wonderful! You're officially a friend of mine.**

**I've noticed that some authors post where they get the ideas for their stories on these things, so I suppose I should do that too, if you don't want to actually read this just skip it:**

**I have a brain that works in the weirdest ways, and what happened was I saw the video 'Can't be Tamed' by Miley Cyrus for the first time, and from there the weirdness took over (I'm not gonna lie, I was half asleep when I saw the video, then drank a couple of monsters to keep myself awake, so that's probably part of the solution too), and then I listened to the song 'They're Coming to Take Me Away' by Neurotic Fish for, like, the millionth time. And so 20 minutes later, this story idea hit me like a crack over the head from superman, and I just had to tweak it a little bit, and here we are today.**

**Anyway, enjoy! Reviews are greatly appreciated, even if they're criticism (constructive, not just insults, please).**

"So where from the US are you two from?" Light asked conversationally in the café, from his place next to Ryuga.

The group had gotten odd glances as they passed the tables and booths of others in the building; two beautiful girls, and two teen boys that would have each gotten stares on their own, let alone together; attention was, more or less, a given.

"The Midwest." Sam replied, taking a bite of her sundae.

"Anywhere more specific?" Light laughed, even though he was still less than amused from Evangeline's offhanded comment from earlier, and the low chuckle of amusement it had gotten from Ryuga.

"Indianna. We're from the sticks, you wouldn't have actually heard of the town, really it doesn't even count as a town, more of a village." Eve clarified, stirring her black coffee.

"What made the two of you decide to come to school here?" Light asked, Sam began rummaging through her bag.

"It was a coincidence that the two of us got accepted here, actually. We both applied to about a dozen different places, and, what do you know, we're attending this one together." Eve explained, before glancing at Sam, who was now pulling random items out and setting them on the table, cursing under her breath.

"…know it's in here somewhere…little bastard tries to hide…"

"How long has this been in here?" Eve asked, picking up a balled up history test carefully. Sam completely ignored her, and Evangeline just laughed as she finally grinned in triumph, and pulled out a jar of jam.

"Is that Jam?" Ryuga asked, cocking his head in confusion.

"Yes, I adore jam, it's absolutely delicious and it's the only sugary food that I can eat without getting hyper." Sam clarified, prying open the lid and digging in with a spoon.

Evangeline mumbled something that sounded vaguely like it was in disagreement before taking a deep drink of her coffee.

Their waitress bustled over immediately, looking angry.

"I'm sorry but you can't bring outside foods in here-"

"Jam isn't food." Sam interrupted seriously. "It's a gift from _God_."

The waitress looked beyond pissed now and actually reached forward to take the jar away from her.

"You can't eat that in-" Sam grabbed her by the wrist, and glared. Her voice became darker and sharper, her eyes narrowed into slits through her glasses.

"Try and take this jar and you'll find out what it's like to get a foot shoved so far up your ass it'll have to be surgically removed." She snarled, tightening her grip.

The poor waitress stammered an apology, and booked it, just about wetting herself as she began sobbing.

"Sam!" Eve hissed, gaining her friend's attention. "Would it kill you to make an effort to NOT get us thrown out of every eating establishment that we go to?"

"She attempted to take my jam!"

"The jam is against the rules."

"The rules are stupid."

Light and Ryuga watched them bicker, stunned from Savanna's personality change and the fact that Evangeline didn't seem to be bothered by it at all.

The silence was awkward after they were finished bickering, and Light, for the first time in his life, struggled to think of something to say. There was something different about the two of them; they lived on a different plane of existence, almost, encased in ice.

Was that how others saw him?

"What are you two majoring in?" Light asked, deciding that maybe he should find out as much about them as possible.

"Haven't really decided yet," Sam admitted, shrugging. She stirred the jam slowly, drew out a spoonful, eyed it and devoured it in one swallow.

"Me either." Eve agreed. "I'm just taking whatever courses sound the most interesting, at the moment, I haven't thought about what I'm going to do."

"Perhaps you should give it some thought; most careers are in communications and medicine at the moment. Or perhaps law?" Ryuga suggested casually. Eve shook her head and Sam burst out laughing.

"We can't stand people." Sam explained with a cheeky grin.

"That's not completely true, Sammy, and you know it." Eve explained, sounding a bit weary. "We can't stand _ignorant_ people. Our patience is a bit…lacking, and people who pretend to know shit they don't and then get in our face about it really grate on our tempers." She explained, only to have Samantha giggle.

"The two of you are very close?" L asked, nibbling on his thumb nail.

"You've got no idea." Sam confirmed, frowning at the empty jar and scraping the spoon along the bottom.

"I guess it's only to be expected, coming to school in a different country, I suppose." Light teased, Evangeline shrugged and looked at him with steady eyes.

"So, Light, what exactly are you interested in?" He paused and looked at her in surprise, only to lose his train of thought.

Her eyes…

Perfectly almond shaped with long charcoal black eyelashes that curled so dramatically it was almost impossible to believe they were real. The color was a green hazel, with what looked like a ring of gold around the pupil.

Those eyes set off her face, and depending on how she manipulated them, Evangeline could have looked anywhere from childishly innocent to seductive.

Light's mouth went dry, and he had to search his mind for the question she'd asked him, and then think of a rapid reply.

"I'm going to join the NPA." Light imagined this would impress her, but she merely raised an eyebrow.

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Because my father is the chief of police, and anyway, I want to be able to help people and enforce justice." Ryuga, imperceptibly narrowed his eyes and examined Light from his peripheral vision.

"So, you're aiming to be a cop because of your father?"

"Well, that has something to do with it, I'm sure. But it's also what _I_ want to do." Light stressed, meeting her interested gaze.

"I'm curious to know, Evangeline, Samantha, what your opinion on Kira is?" Light jerked and turned to stare at Ryuga in surprise, but internally he was seething. _He wouldn't…_

"Oh, he's a total nut." Sam replied simply, twisting the jar closed irritably and stuffing everything back into her bag.

"He may disguise it under the guise of morality, but he's a serial killer, and if I had to take a guess, I'd say he's suffering borderline personality disorder, or at the very least, extreme narcissism." Evangeline answered, looking for a waitress to get a refill on her coffee, as she'd just finished hers.

Light internally groaned, so she was on L's side…not that women couldn't be won over.

"Why would you say that?" L asked in surprise, although he was secretly pleased. So these women had common sense.

"It's just…the whole killing criminals thing, it could be admirable…but somehow it isn't. Then there's the incident with Lind L. Taylor. If he was truly trying to make a better difference, he wouldn't have killed him for disagreeing. It makes me think he's quite childish, and almost views himself as a God…" Evangeline blushed and waved hand laughing nervously. "I'm so sorry, I was babbling, that was…really…really stupid."

She blinked in confusion at the stunned look on both L and Light's faces, and mistook it for disapproval. She hung her head in shame, and tried to think of a way to make a quick exit.

"But what about the ones who believe that Kira _is_ a God?" Light finally asked, unable to keep the serious tone out of his voice. "Would you call them wrong?"

"Every serial killer has fans (A/N: it really is true, and I can't understand how you can be a fan of something so screwed up; look at Jeffrey Dahmer's fans, I mean…seriously, it makes no sense), and the way I see it, Kira is no different."

Sam grinned and clapped in approval. "Well said, Eve! Why so many questions about Kira? Surely you two aren't fans of his, are you?" Sam suddenly narrowed her eyes, as did Evangeline.

"No, of course not. Please don't take offense, it was merely a question. Everyone seems to be aware of the situation, and yet no one ever seems to truly have a comment on it. It's fascinating how people never seem to have an opinion on anything until after an event has occurred." Ryuga replied; Eve nodded thoughtfully.

Sam's inner girly girl did a happy dance for her friend; Evangeline had trouble relating to people, especially those of the opposite gender. Despite her attempts to hide it, she was cripplingly shy, and often resorted to hostility to get her point across. But, for reasons best known to her, she was able to be herself around the two of them.

L was very wary of the two women; there was something about them, together at least, that made internal alarms ring in his mind. If Samantha could be provoked to violence simply because she didn't like a rule…

What was Evangeline capable of?

And, a better question, what was possible for the two of them to do together?

The rest of the lunch passed in peace; Light learned that Evangeline and Samantha often answered the question meant for the other, and that Evangeline preferred to keep her answers short and on topic, while Sam often dodged the question altogether. L decided that he would need to investigate the two young women.

Before anyone had realized it, it was time for their next classes, and they had to say good-bye.

"See you later, Evie (pronunciation: Eve-ee)!" Sam called over her shoulder as she took off.

Evangeline waved, before turning to look back at Light and Ryuga.

"Thank you for the lunch, it was fun." She bowed, smiling politely.

"It was no problem. You can expect to hear from me again, Evangeline Evers." She blinked in confusion as the pale man walked away in the opposite direction.

"What in the hell…?" She raised an eyebrow to Light. "What did he mean?" She asked, he laughed nervously.

"I'm afraid that I don't know Ryuga very well. We only met yesterday, and that was during the ceremony. His actions are as much a mystery to me as to you."

"He seems interesting, don't you think?" Why did that question make him angry?

"And I'm not interesting?" He teased, she looked at him thoughtfully and shrugged.

"You're interesting, but he's more of a puzzle, I guess…it's hard to explain." She looked away, frowning. "I have to leave. I'll see you around, Light."

Light watched her retreating figure before starting towards his destination.

"Those girls are odd, don't you think, Light? I mean, who gets violent over a jar of jam? But then I guess that I'd probably react the same way if someone had the guts to try to take my apples…"Light tuned out the idiot shinigami easily.

Was it possible to turn Evangeline onto his side, or to trick her, maybe? But then, what could be done about Samantha? She was a loose cannon, no doubt about that, and it would be dangerous to have her in the know.

Light frowned, shaking his head. Did it matter if he had them, or, more specifically, Evangeline, as an ally?

But part of him knew that he was going to fight to have that girl on his side, _by_ his side, no matter what it took.

Even if it was against her will.

L read through the files on the two girls again, nibbling on his thumbnail, and then going over the travel documents from the last year, as well as all records that were available on them.

Although he still had his suspicions about Light, evidence was beginning to stack up against the two women like blocks.

The two of them had been in the Kanto region at the time that the murders began; they had been visiting possible college choices, and were also in the country when Lind L. Taylor was killed, and had left the very next day.

Both of them had a tested IQ off the charts, even if Samantha's grades confirmed with a casual glance she didn't care about school.

Their IQ's were in the same relative ballpark of Light Yagami's…

He sighed; this case was quickly ranking the most difficult that he'd ever faced, and it was beginning to wear on him.

But there was no doubt in his mind that Samantha Herman and Evangeline Evers needed to be investigated, and treated with caution.

**Yay! Another chapter is done, thank God! This is really turning out better than I expected, and I'd really like to know what everyone thinks please. I can't stress this enough, if you all want me to continue, I need to know what you all think. ****Please**** review!**


	5. Interrogation

**I don't own Death Note, but I own the OC characters, Evangeline Evers and Samantha Herman. Review please.**

***Warning…there's a bit of explicit language in this chapter, so please forgive me, it's just part of Sam's personality (it is. The character she's based on would react exactly like this, if not more extreme, and if she's reading this I hope she isn't mad…otherwise, I might be in some trouble).**

**DON'T BE MAD AT ME!**

Evangeline looked up from her textbook as someone knocked again on her door. She set the book down on the coffee table and unfolded herself (she'd been seated with her legs under her).

It had been 3 days since the discussion with Ryuga and Light; it was now Friday night (**A/N: I didn't intentionally rhyme that, I swear**), and she was studying with a mug of hot chocolate in her apartment.

"Coming!" she called, moving toward the door and then glancing out the peek hole.

Someone had a badge in front of the glass, making her narrow her eyes; why would a cop visit her at 6:30 at night? Hell, she didn't even have a traffic ticket (not that she owned a car, per say, but still!), what could she be in trouble for?

Eve unlocked the door and cracked it, glancing out again.

"Can I help you?"

"Evangeline Evers?"

"Yes," she nodded briefly and examined the two men outside her door; one was tall and thick, but not quite fat. His features looked as if they'd been roughly carved from clay. The other was smaller, but stocky, with a prominent nose and a rather weak looking afro, more likely than not the residue of some wild college days.

"We're going to need you to come with us." The smaller one ordered, she raised an eyebrow and opened the door further.

"Am I under arrest?" She demanded, allowing her paranoia to show.

"Listen, ma'am this can be easy or it can be hard, but if you'll just come downtown with us, we can get this straightened out in a few hours. Alright?" Evangeline sighed.

"Just let me get my coat." She locked the door behind her and slipped into her black pea coat, and grabbed her purse.

The notion of climbing out the window and down the fire escape occurred to her, but she dismissed the thought. Where would she go? And if the police only wanted her for questioning, than she should just get it over with.

As a last minute thought, she grabbed a Stephen King novel (Misery), and then exited her apartment for the final time, locking the door and pocketing the keys.

Evangeline was led to the street where they put her into the back of a police cruiser (A/N: I'm assuming that they have cruisers in Japan, but I don't know for sure, so just play along), but wasn't handcuffed.

The ride was silent, and a tad awkward. Evangeline stared out the window at the passing scenery with avid interest. She was still unused to watching so many things pass by so quickly, especially the lights. To her overactive mind, the neon lights could've very well been shooting stars… She had her arms wrapped around her small purse, with it held securely to her midsection.

In the front seat, the two officers, who hadn't introduced themselves to her, and yet would be known to the common reader as officers Aizawa and Mogi, didn't speak to each other, or to the young, attractive woman in the backseat. They didn't turn on the radio. They didn't comment on traffic (which was bad). And they certainly didn't voice their opinions on the girl to one another.

Officer Mogi privately didn't care to believe that such a polite young woman could be Kira, but didn't dare object to what L had told them to do.

Aizawa just wanted the case to be over with, but wondered what was in store for the girl under suspicion.

L watched through the monitor as Evangeline was left in the specified interrogation room. On the next floor, Samantha was fervently denying any and all ties to people named Akira and Adrian (although there were plenty of curses in between and this was merely the summary of what she'd been saying) and claiming that if she was going to be charged with something formally then she wanted her *explicit word* lawyer.

Samantha had failed to comment on the laptop in the corner with the camera attached, until it came on at least, and the giant calligraphy L appeared in the middle of the screen.

"Samantha Herman?"

"What the hell am I here for?" She demanded, glaring at the camera.

"You are here because I believe that you are Kira. Or in the very least, you are in contact with him."

"Bullshit!" Samantha slammed a fist down onto the table.

"Please, take a seat, Miss Herman. Is there anything that you would like to confess to? Perhaps the people you mentioned in your earlier ranting?" Samantha turned bright red and immediately clammed up, predictably.

"I didn't say anything that would hold up in a court of law!"

"Miss Herman, do you or do you not support Kira?" L asked, making sure to phrase the question differently, in case she began to connect the dots.

"I don't! He's a complete psychopath, and I despise him! Who the hell in his right mind would give any support to the freak?" Sam immediately snapped, indignant; how dare this smartass think of her as some brain dead, mindless, non-authoritative questioning sheep? Her very pride was injured by the question.

"Oh? But the times that you were in Tokyo exactly match the major events, including the death of Lind. L. Taylor…and you were gone the next morning."

"I was researching college possibilities you dipshit!"

"Your computer search engine also turned up research on many of the criminals who were killed…"

"It's a hobby! I'm interested in how these sickies think, so my friend and I look up the backgrounds of criminals, and not all of them are dead, and we take guesses on their backgrounds and any psychological disorders that they were diagnosed with!" She explained, this times sounding more exasperated than anything else.

"That's a very strange hobby, Miss Herman. But why are they Japanese criminals?"

"Because we're less likely to hear about the backgrounds of Japanese criminals than American ones…we're in the dark with them…no way to cheat." L bit down on his thumb…it sounded like an interesting hobby, although it was definitely strange. And how she'd explained it made sense.

"Miss Herman, we're questioning your friend Evangeline Evers as we speak right now. She's telling us about your strange behavior since the Kira murders began. As I'm talking to you, she's telling the investigators on my task force about how suspicious you've acted as of late." This was an old trick that he'd relied on from time to time, that police officers often used as well. It worked best in a group of 3 or more, but with a pair of people who'd committed crimes, they were often very close. The way the trick worked was to make one doubt the other, and reveal information on the both of them, that only the perpetrator of the crime would know.

Often times, the closer the group, the easier it was to break them apart.

Much to L's surprise, Sam began to grin.

"Do you honestly think that I believe that? Evangeline would die before she did anything like that. I'm not Kira, and neither is she." Sam replied confidently; a confident smirk lighting up her face in the manner similar to a snake about to devour a mouse.

"We shall see, Miss Herman."

Evangeline was a stark contrast to her best friend, and read through _Misery_ for the 10th time (she'd kept count) as she waited for whatever was going to happen to actually happen. She was calm, she was quiet, and didn't react at all when the laptop turned on, except to move the chair she sat in closer to the camera.

"Good evening, Miss Evers. I suspect that you have an idea who I am?" She smiled, as if the L wasn't a big giveaway.

"Let's see…you can't be Santa…maybe you're L?" Eve teased, smiling.

"You are here because I suspect you of being Kira." Eve nodded, looking oddly serene. "You have no comment? No denials? No rants about how you can't possibly be a serial killer?" L pressed.

"I am not Kira, but I know that in spite of what I insist, until you see solid evidence, you're going to regard me as a suspect. Although…I have a theory about you, L…"

"Oh? What theory is that, Miss Evers?"

"First explain why I'm a suspect. I'm sure that I can give a logical explanation if you give me the chance." And, once again, L told her about the time line and how she fit in, and about the Japanese criminals on her search engine. Like Samantha, she told him about their psychological profiling game, and how if the criminals weren't from the U.S. it was almost impossible to hear about them if they weren't terrorists, "and anyway, L, I'm sure you noticed that on both of our computers we have criminals from almost every country in the world," and he had.

"So, what is your theory, Miss Evers?" She smiled and adjusted her glasses.

"I think that you're Hideki Ryuga, the one from To-Doh University, who I had lunch with and who I watched play tennis with Light Yagami."

"What makes you say that?" The girl was good, and he couldn't help but smile.

"The way you said I'd hear from you…something was off about it. It wasn't like a regular good-bye."

"I haven't confirmed that was me, Miss Evers."

"You haven't denied it either. So, what do I have to do to prove that I'm not Kira, Ryuga?" Evangeline asked leaning back and stretching.

Would any person accused of being Kira react so calmly? Why wasn't she upset? Could she be so certain that she wouldn't be caught, or was she truly not Kira?

L had to admit to himself that the evidence was highly circumstantial at best, and that none of it would have held up in court. But it was so easy to believe that the three of them, Light, Evangeline and Samantha, were working together…

Samantha contemplated breaking the laptop, but figured that if she did that it would only stack up more evidence…and she couldn't afford to pay anyone back for the damn thing…and god knew what kind of expensive equipment that thing had rigged up to it. Hell, she could barely afford her apartment.

But the best thing to focus on, at the moment, was how was she going to prove that she was innocent?

And, in the back of her mind, there was the nagging fear that Evangeline really was ratting her out. The old self-consciousness of her school career hadn't entirely dissipated, despite almost 5 years of Eve's friendship behind it.

Samantha had always been on the outskirts of groups, and had never cared what people thought about her. She'd always done everything in extremes, even if she didn't mean to; if she laughed, she laughed loudly; if she smiled, she'd grin.

Of course she had a few friends, a boyfriend even, but there was still a wall of ice surrounding her, and she knew that they were aware of it, even if it wasn't normally commented on. They tried to understand, of course, but…Samantha never revealed her true colors to them.

Then she met Evangeline Evers, a fiery new student who'd entered her high school 2 months into Freshman year; she was one of the few girls in the school with natural black hair, and also didn't hide the fact that she was a bookworm (she often read so much that the books were confiscated by teachers in order to force her to get her work done). People were immediately thrown off by her cold personality, but Sam later found out it was because she was extremely shy.

It was a safe bet to say that Evangeline had attracted Samantha's attention from the start; even before she knew that Eve was an otaku, much like herself. But she'd never actually talked to the teen, even though they had several classes together.

Until one rainy afternoon at the public library; they'd wound up sitting next to each other on the computers, and Sam had looked over to see Evangeline watching an AMV for Kuroshitsuji, and couldn't resist saying to her "Oh my god, I love that anime!" Eve had turned to look at her, and Sam never forgot the delighted look in her eyes.

They'd become fast friends, and within days they were spending lunch together, talking about manga and anime and soon it progressed. Eve had been able to see beyond her barriers and masks, at least most of them. They learned to read each other's moods, and how to calm one another down.

By junior year, Sam had been terrified that Eve was going to abandon her for the cooler crowds; Sam had blossomed in the 8th grade, and, more often than not, hid her curves with baggy clothes and breast binds. That was the year that Eve really bloomed; losing what was left of her baby fat and developing a true hourglass form along with a chest that had most boys staring.

Sam had been so afraid of what was going to happen that she'd become hostile, and after Eve had attempted laugh off one of the most popular guys' in school's attempt to ask her out, she'd turned on her and snarled 'Oh, so you're just going to leave me now?'

_Eve stared at her, blinking in total confusion. "Why would I leave you, Sammy?"_

"_As if you don't know! By next week you're going to be vandalizing my stuff, just like the rest of those sons of bitches!" Eve had looked so lost that Sam couldn't continue, and only glared at her, chest heaving with the effort to breathe._

"_I wouldn't hang out with them if I was at gunpoint Sam, why would I? They're idiots, and you're way more fun." Eve had told her, her face looking so innocent that Samantha had immediately apologized profusely._

No, it was stupid to imagine Eve telling the detectives anything about her to the cops. It felt almost perverted to do so.

Sam forced herself to calm down and breathe; there wasn't much to do right now, except to trust in her instincts and in Eve's ability to find a way out of this.

The two of them hadn't been called to the principal's office very often, but when they did, it was usually pretty serious. Every single time that the situation seemed lost and they were on the edge, about to be expelled, it was Eve that had talked their way out of it, every time. She wasn't the most social, of course, but there was no denying her ability to talk fast and logically.

But then, tricking the middle aged, perverted vice-principal was different than the world renowned detective.

"It says in my files that you were suspended in your senior year for malicious vandalism of another student's car?" L asked Evangeline an hour later as she cracked her neck.

"Yes I did, and they left two important facts out in that; 1). That was my ex-boyfriend who had cheated on me with who I thought was my friend and 2). I was blasting Burn by Papa Roach at the time." Eve explained, laughing.

The incident spoken of went like this; a very attractive, intelligent seemingly nice young man asked Evangeline out. She accepted, more out curiosity then attraction. They had a nice time, and 2 dates later, they were officially dating. Several months went by and she thought that the relationship was nice, if not a little bland. At least until she caught him hooking up with a friend of hers in his car. He tried to explain that it wasn't what it looked like, but Eve broke it off with him and the friend. The following Monday she arrived at school an hour late, while he was outside in gym class (as according to her plan). She blasted the aforementioned song and proceeded to beat the hell out of the car with a baseball bat. She then produced a can of gasoline and doused the interior, before lighting it on fire.

The only reason she hadn't been expelled was because the ex-boyfriend attempted to attack her, and it was later uncovered he'd been growing marijuana in his back yard. She'd had to pay him out, and serve several months' detention, as well as academic probation after the suspension had been served.

Eve wasn't ashamed of what she'd done; only that she'd fallen for his act. Her pride had been wounded, even if her heart hadn't quite been broken, as she hadn't been in love with the son of a bitch.

"You say that is if you believe that justifies what was done."

"It…doesn't justify it, I guess, but I think it deserves some payback, Ryuga. Don't you think so?"

"No, Miss Evers, I don't."

Evangeline laugh cynically and stared straight at the camera. "You aren't a girl, Ryuga (A/N: I'm a girl and as such this isn't a sexist statement, but a proven fact, so please don't get angry about this. I meant absolutely no offense whatsoever.). We take shit like that personally, and we can be provoked to violence in a similar way. If a guy gets his heart broken he goes out to drink with a buddy and has a meaningless hookup. A girl gets her heart broken she'll either sulk with her friends, plenty of crappy movies and junk food, or get even."

L shook his head; this wasn't going anywhere; despite the evidence, there wasn't anything being said about either of them being connected to Kira. They had the right intellect, but not the mentality or personality for something on such a global scale.

Watari entered the room with some tea and sugar cubes.

"Ryuzaki, how is everything going with Miss Evers and Miss Herman?"

"There's nothing more tying them to the case. They aren't admitting anything, and frankly I don't believe that it's them…"

Watari stared at first one screen and then the other. He poured L a cup of tea.

"Perhaps you should do with them what you plan on suggesting to Light Yagami?"

"Making them part of the investigation, you mean?" Watari nodded.

"They will be constantly under your surveillance, you'll be able to get to know the true extent of their abilities and there's always a chance that whichever one of them is Kira will make a mistake, in which case you'll be able to catch them red handed." L nodded at the idea, running it through his mind; he'd thought of it briefly when they were first brought in, but thought against it in the end.

Originally he'd thought that perhaps the three of them together would get underfoot in the investigation. Or maybe they would work together to uproot it. But, coming from Watari, the suggestion seemed like the best idea, and it was the only thing that would work.

"What if they aren't any use?" L asked the elderly man's retreating back, his neck almost doing a 180 degree turn as it craned to watch him.

"Ryuzaki, if they weren't of any use then you wouldn't suspect them of being Kira." Then he was gone, the door shutting with a metallic hiss.

L chuckled softly to himself; even after so long, the old man knew him almost better than he himself did.

Evangeline looked up in surprise when the door open and grinned when she saw Ryuga.

"Am I officially under arrest?" She asked dully, standing up and holding her hands out in front of her.

"No, Miss Evers, you aren't under arrest. However, you are still under suspicion, as well as your friend Samantha Herman. As such, I want to know something."

"Oh yeah? And what's that Ryuga?"

"Would the two of you consider entering the task force and helping me catch Kira?" L asked her, straight out.

"Are you joking?" Eve asked, although her face was enough to make even L crack the smallest of smiles; her eyes widened, her nostrils flared and her mouth gaped.

"I would never joke about a subject so serious Miss Evers."

"Call me Evangeline, Ryuga."

"Call me Ryuzaki, then. Not Ryuga and certainly not L. If you agree to join the team you may not mention the Kira case to anyone, and you must follow my orders and terms. This might interfere with your academic life and there is an extreme possibility of you losing your life should you agree. Can you work around that?"

"Are you kidding? Of course I'm going to agree; not everyone gets to tell their grandkids that they worked with L when they were young. But, what exactly brought this idea on? It seems unlike you, somehow."

"It's the best way to monitor you, and at the same time your minds might also provide a new insight." Eve stepped up to him, a smile playing on her lips.

"Well I can't honestly confirm for Sam, but I'm in."

**I know that it's starting to get cliché but it does get better as the story goes on, I promise. This was really hard for me to come up with, so please bear with me. **

**Thank you so much, those of you who added this onto your alerts and favorite listings, it says a lot to me, even though not as many people as I'd like are reviewing; granted, the listings are piling up bit by bit, so we'll get there eventually! **

**I want to know something; the time line for Death Note doesn't really cover any holidays, so I have a question for everybody that's been reading this and is enjoying it; if I can keep up at this pace for 3 or 4 more chapters and can set up the relationships between L, Evangeline and Light as well as get something set up between Samantha and a mystery man (try and guess, there was a big hint in the café chapter!), would you all like me to write some bonus chapters including holidays. I'm aware that there was only one Christmas where L was actually alive, so we'll all just pretend that there's another one. Post the answer in the reviews, I'll be checking them daily to see what everyone wants and for the ultimate decision. And before anyone points it out, yes I'm aware I'm not the first author to think of it, but I'd like to think that I'll be able to put a new spin on the whole thing, so no one needs to message me about it, but everyone keep in mind that they will take some time to write.**

**Thank you for your support!**


	6. Kira

**I'm back everyone! Thank you for the support that I've been getting, it's appreciated more than you know.**

**I don't own Death Note, or any characters or content mentioned in the original manga. I own Evangeline, however (technically I don't own Sam because she's based on my best friend and it would be weird saying I own her. -.-), anyway please review!**

By the time that Evangeline and Ryuga entered Sam's cell, she was about to bust her goddamn head in; she'd kept count by her watch and she'd been in here for almost 12 hours, she had to use the bathroom and that fucking laptop was driving her crazy!

The door opened and she whirled around to see Eve standing there with Ryuga.

"Evening, Sam," Eve greeted with a casual smile, as if nothing had happened.

"EVIE!" Sam shouted, rushing her friend into an aggressive glomp that almost knocked her to the floor. Eve caught her easily, catching herself by taking a step back. "THANK GOD YOU'RE OKAY! DID THEY HURT YOU? ARE YOU TRAUMATIZED?" Sam cried, letting go and standing on tip toe; she grabbed Evangeline's face and forced it from side to side, looking for bruises.

"I'm fine, Sammy, please let go, that kind of hurts." Sam's hands immediately withdrew, and she stepped away.

"Oh, Ryuga, what are you doing here? Don't tell me you're under suspicion too?" Sam demanded.

Eve glanced back at him as he stepped closer.

"I am L, and it was under my orders that you be brought here for questioning-" Sam walked up to him and punched him straight in the jaw, hard enough to knock him back several steps.

"YOU BASTARD! WHAT THE HELL-"

"Sam!" Eve dragged the smaller girl back before she could try and attack the detective again…the last thing either of them needed was more trouble…although there was plenty of it to go around already… "Sam, he's letting us go!" She hissed as the girl continued to struggle.

"What?"

"I'm releasing you for the time being, on the condition that you aid in the Kira investigation." L explained in his emotionless monotone.

"And why the hell would we do that?" Sam demanded, before glancing at Eve's sheepish face. "You didn't?"

"Well, Sam, I figured it'd be an interesting experience if nothing else. Is that a crime?"

"Yes! Now I have to join!" Sam punched Eve in the arm and glared up at her amused face.

"Why do you need to join your friend? You could just as easily agree to constant surveillance in your apartment and at school." L brought a thumb up to his mouth and began to bite down on his nail.

"Because I'm not just going to leave her to the mercy of your sick mind! Eva is remarkably-"

"Sam if you say 'delicate' I'm going to hit you." Evangeline interrupted calmly, and that shut her right up.

"So, what exactly do we need to do?" Samantha asked, crossing her arms obstinately.

"At the moment-"

"Ryuzaki!" Someone shouted down the corridor, there was the sound of running feet and the cop from earlier ran in. "Ryuzaki, Kira sent a message to Sakura TV, they're playing them as we speak-" And then Ryuzaki was running down the hallway, leaving the rest of them in the dust, figuratively speaking.

"Hello again, officer." Evangeline greeted, smiling easily as Sam eyed him with unmasked hatred. Eve nudged her and Sam nodded briefly.

"Come with me, call me Aizawa." The cop smiled uncertainly and began to walk away, Eve followed, dragging Sam along behind her.

"Great, call me Eve, and this is Sam." He seemed to nod and Eve picked up the pace. "What exactly is going on? Care to explain?" And then he rounded a corner and was gone.

So that left Eve and Sam to wander around the strange building , trying to figure out what the hell had happened and where they were.

And Sam was still angry about being dragged into this whole thing, and didn't bother to hide that opinion.

"…didn't even have the common sense to talk to me about it to get my opinion on what we should do!" Eve restrained her temper as they arrived in the same hallway for the 5th time, 5 minutes later.

"Sam, I swear, we can have a huge blow up about it once we figure out how to get out of here! Now help me with this, dammit!" Eve snapped, her resolve to be the adult quickly flying out the window as annoyance creeped in.

"Oh, the great mind reader can't find her way out of the halls of some basement? Why don't you just telepathically find out from someone else, the way you did when you accepted the offer to join the investigation, since you _knew_ that I'd say yes? Oh, and since you're psychic, get the lottery number for the next two weeks, I could use a break on my rent; my security deposit really cleaned me out." Eve counted to 10, slowly, to resist sinking to Sam's level.

Eve adored Sam in every possible way, and saw her more as a sister than a friend, that was an ironclad fact. But when Sam got upset with her, which didn't happen often, but had still happened once or twice, Eve often had the ridiculous desire to argue with a child's logic (i.e. 'did not! Did too!', sticking out your tongue, etc.).

"Samantha, I honestly thought that you'd say yes!" Evangeline snapped, again.

"Well you thought wrong! Just like you thought wrong about exactly where we're going!" Sam jerked her arm away and stomped her foot, much like a 5 year old.

"Sam…"

"Don't talk to me right now. I'm pissed." Eve sighed and ran a hand through her hair. They were now getting somewhere; they hadn't come to the hallways they'd kept circling back on in a good 5 minutes.

So the rest of the walk was in silence, until they emerged into a dim room with 5 or 6 people, lit up by TV's and computers.

"What's going on?" Evangeline asked, flinching slightly at the emotional chill in the room.

"Oh, you weren't…" The cop stared at them and then blushed. "Why weren't you behind me?"

"You ditched us." Sam informed, giving Eve the cold shoulder. "We're not exactly fast, and you left." Eve would have added her two cents' worth, but that about summed all of it up…albeit, in less than polite terms.

"That's it! I'm going to stop them myself!" A small man with his hair cut short to his head shouted before running out of the room, past Evangeline and Samantha.

"Someone posing as Kira sent tapes to the Sakura TV station, demanding compliance from the police; he proved himself by killing off several hosts of different TV shows, proving his power. The station won't pick up the phones. Now, apparently Ukita-san has gone to do it himself." Ryuzaki informed, saying all of this rather fast.

Eve glanced at Sam before approaching the screens hesitantly.

Minutes later a car pulled into view on the security tapes, and a small, fuzzy figure began to bang on the glass doors. There was no audio, and Eve felt bile rise in her throat as she watched it collapse.

"Ukita!" The youngest cop shouted.

"My god…" Eve whispered; she was not a weak person, emotionally. She had seen her fair share of death; she'd watched people both waste away and hang suspended, lives undecided, and later denied, by whatever God you chose to believe in. She'd seen the bloodless look of a corpse in the morgue, waiting for a positive identification. But to see this, this way…it was inhumane.

A fuzzy video isn't just a cheap way to view a death; death is not something that should even be videotaped. It is a force beyond reckoning, and fucking around with it will eventually come back to bite you in the ass. Death is not something that can be truly predicted, the variables that a human encounters throughout his everyday life (Although Evangeline didn't have knowledge of it, not even shinigami can't accurately predict the specific day that a human in question will die, only the day, and even then, that can be changed do to someone else fucking around with the Death Note). A death doesn't necessarily need to be dramatic; it becomes almost blasé if all of them are that way, but there is something about the act of dying itself that will provoke extremes in all humans; some cry, some scream, or some, like Eve, feel ill.

Samantha's entire face seemed to take on the color of bleached paper; her eyes steadily darkening, or perhaps her pupils had dilated. She didn't feel ill, she felt strangely…numb, as if she was watching a movie. She took on a sensible view of it, though; _it's a pity that he's dead, but I didn't know him. He wasn't close to me. I shouldn't feel sadness for it._ It was something that had become a mantra for her since she was a child, when she realized that crying and feeling bad for people often came back to haunt you. Or haunt her, as the case often was.

"That's Ukita!"

"You said that Kira needed a name and a face! The badges and ID's are useless-"

"Damn it, I'm going to stop this!" Aizawa shouted, bolting past everyone toward one of the doors.

"Mr. Aizawa, I'm going to have to ask that you not do that." Ryuzaki requested; his voice was tense, and trembled only if you listened closely and had heard him speak in the past.

"What else are we going to do?"

"There is no sense in doing something foolish that will result in the waste of death!" Everyone watched Ryuzaki in silence; this was more emotion than any had ever seen him. Ryuzaki continued, "please, be realistic; I want that video stopped as much as you do, Aizawa, but the only thing we can do is monitor the area around the station and hope that Kira makes a mistake."

"If Kira's around though, it's all the more reason for us to go!"

"I'll only repeat myself one more time-go now and you'll be killed."

Aizawa seemed to calm down, but opened his mouth once more to argue.

"For the love of all things holy shut up and sit down!" Sam snapped, getting right up in his personal space.

"If you want to avenge your friend then you should wait for the chance to get back at Kira." Eve agreed quickly, only to be ignored by Sam.

"Don't be stupid and get yourself killed too. It's just plain wasteful!" The slight southern twang made itself noticeable in her voice as she lectured.

"Christ!" Eve shrieked; everyone had been so absorbed by the argument their attention had been temporarily diverted from the problem at hand, and had therefore missed the semi that drove into the studio-remarkably missing poor 'Ukita's' body.

Ryuzaki immediately dialed several numbers and as the minutes dragged on, later, they would realize it had been just under 5, lone police cars arrived; all of the officers were killed.

Eve couldn't watch from there on, and only turned back to watch when she heard the last name 'Yagami'.

"Is he a relative of Light?" She asked the youngest officer, who, blushingly, identified himself as Matsuda.

"Yes, that's his father, the chief. But he just had a heart attack; he's supposed to be in the hospital until he recovers."

"Was it Kira?"

"No, stress."

"Shouldn't he be in a…hospital…?" Evangeline suggested.

"Apparently Yagami-san decided to take matters into his own hands, much like Aizawa planned. Only I'm supposing that you wouldn't have thought of the car, right, Aizawa?"

"Um, Ryuzaki, now really isn't the time for guilt trips." Eve suggested, although she was already thinking about Light's father.

Eve's mother might have majored in English, but her father was a surgeon, and had kept a bookcase full of medical texts in easy reach of his daughter. Often Eve would go to work with him and listen in to conversations (many forgot about the extremely polite, shy, dark haired little girl once she didn't want any attention drawn to herself) made by the other nurses, or skimmed through the books on the shelves.

Evangeline had been reading chapter books when she was 7 (she could read the words, but often wasn't able to understand them); _A series of Unfortunate Events_, _Harry Potter, Charlotte's Web_, and many more, they all fell victim in her eager desire to stay entertained. Eventually she wound up examining the medical textbooks for more than the grotesquely interesting pictures, as she had when she was small.

That being said, she wasn't a nurse, but she had enough medical knowledge to make a mental note to get the man several nitroglycerin tablets; they weren't over the counter, but plenty of people had at least 2 on hand, and come on, this is L, he could probably get himself a drugstore for of medication (legal or no), and some water…aspirin would be good too.

Sam, though she still was pissed at Ryuzaki, had to admit that she was impressed by how he managed to take control of situation and keep himself in check.

And she was impressed at the way even the bare minimum of panic needed to convince the cops to help was logical and practiced. He might be a jerk, she reasoned, but he deserves a bit of congrats for that.

Not that she would.

"Here are the tapes from Kira. Demegowa surrendered the copies the network made as well."

"Are you alright, Yagami-san?" Eve asked tentively.

"I feel alive, better than I have in years." Eve rolled her eyes before giving him a quick once over.

"You need to sit down, sir. Someone get him some water, please, and Ryuzaki?" L looked at her with interest.

"How fast can you get your hands on some nitroglycerin tablets for him, and a couple aspirin?"

"Are you going to be a doctor?" Matsuda asked, grinning. Sam grinned, despite herself.

"No, Eve's just a walking encyclopedia."

**Alright, that's it! I finally finished it! I've been stuck on this chapter for a week, and it's been driving me nuts. I apologize if the ending to it is a little bit anticlimactic (sp?). Review, please.**


	7. Fake?

**Welcome back everyone, thanks to those of you who have followed this far, and hello to those of you who just tuned in. Please review!**

Entering the building whose address she'd been given (a hotel with a name she'd never remember), Eve adjusted her glasses.

She was immediately approached by a neatly dressed, elderly man with a well-kept mustache, who bowed as soon as he was in front of her.

"Hello, Miss Evers. I am Ryuzaki's assistant, Watari. I came to show you the way."

"Thank you, Watari. Please, call me Eve."

"Evangeline, then; please follow me." Eve smiled and stayed close to the gray haired old man, as he began to speak. "Please turn your phone off, there will be no note taking or recordings of any meetings you attend, all information will be remembered by you and only you. Are we understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." He stepped into the elevator and motioned for her to follow.

"Is Sam here yet?"

"She has been going over the case with Ryuzaki for the past half hour." Eve flinched.

"And I thought that I got here early," she mumbled before holding out the platter she'd been carrying. "I brought this, for everyone."

Watari blinked and took the platter, pulling away the foil covering and revealing chocolate chip and sugar cookies. A lot of them. Freshly baked, and not store bought, either.

"You didn't need to do that, Evangeline." She grinned shyly.

"I like baking, and anyway, whenever my father had medical meetings, my mom baked cookies. It helps loosen the atmosphere for 'creative energy', as she said. It became a tradition. I just…it's something that I've always kept up." Watari smiled, nodding.

"Thank you, Evangeline. Ryuzaki is extremely fond of sweets, he will appreciate them, I am sure."

"I was half afraid of offending someone, I admit."

"Ordinarily, I cook for Ryuzaki, but I see no reason to be offended. I trust there is no poison in this?" It was obviously a joke and Eve giggled, shaking her head.

"Poison is a filthy way to kill someone. I prefer a chainsaw, myself." He chuckled.

Eve was wearing a heavy black turtleneck and black slacks, hiding thick black boots; occasionally she shivered.

"Are you cold?" Watari asked in surprise. It was in the mid 70's outside, most people in the area regarded it as a rather warm day.

"Yes. I'm always cold…an unfortunate family trait I get from my grandmother." Eve grinned wryly. "My mother was always hot; only woman I ever knew who had the A/c running in the middle of winter."

Watari nodded; in the files on Evangeline, it stated that her parents had been in a serious car wreck when she was 16; her father was killed instantly but her mother was still in a coma, unlikely to ever wake up; she'd been living with her aunt and uncle, her father's sister and her husband, and their son since then. The two were highly respected in the academic community, but there was nothing that L could dig up regarding the relationship between them and their niece. All that he'd been able to find was that her grades had gone from A's and B's to all A's after the accident, as well as joining several academic and extracurricular activities and had gotten a job; quite unusual behavior for a teenager after suffering a serious change at home like she had.

Samantha's home life was more of a mystery. The only thing L had dug up was the suicide of her father under suspicious circumstances, and her mother's death last month, from cancer; Rapidly progressing stomach.

"Here we are, then."

"You reserved the entire floor?" She asked in surprise as the doors drew back.

"Of course." She smiled amusedly before following him, a step or two behind.

"Exactly how much money does Ryuzaki have at his disposal?" Eve asked, her voice light, though questioning.

"Is it a concern of yours?"

"Not particularly…I was just wondering, I guess. To have all the equipment he's got at his disposal, hopping from hotel to hotel…I was just trying to figure out if everything comes out of his pocket money or if he's government funded…or both…" Watari laughed; this girl was interesting.

Sam was listening to the tapes again, drinking a coffee…oh hell…but the boy sitting next to her-

"Light?" Eve asked in surprise.

Light stood up, a bright smile on his face as he walked towards her.

"I wasn't aware that you were part of the investigation, Eve."

"When I met you I wasn't. Ryuzaki questioned Sam and I about Kira. Apparently our being in the country at the time of Lind L. Taylor's death didn't bode well for him, along with a few other bits and pieces. We're here so he can keep an eye on us." Eve smiled at him, her eyes sparkling. Light's mouth went dry. She looked at Sam. "Why didn't you tell Light about it, Sammy?"

Samantha didn't even look at her.

Eve sighed and explained everything to Light quietly; she'd agreed for the both of them, Sam got mad, and now was giving her the cold shoulder.

"I'm sure that she'll forgive you eventually; just let her get it out of her system. Perhaps it's just that she's nervous about the situation and it's coming out as hostility to you because she's certain you wouldn't abandon her?" Light suggested innocently, Eve blinked, running the idea through her head.

"I never thought of that…" She grinned and hugged Light. "Thanks, Light!"

She jumped over the back of the couch and landed beside Sam, where Light had previously been sitting. Light stood there, trying to curb the shivers of delight that crawled up his spine when Eve had hugged him.

"If anyone if feeling peckish it seems that Evangeline has brought cookies." L called from the corner, already examining the tray with some interest.

Not many would guess it, but Eve was a pretty talented cook, and she was rather proud of her baking skills. She certainly wasn't any Martha Stewart, but her cooking was definitely above average.

The comment about cookies had even Sam looking in that direction at the platter.

And then going to take a look…

Light took advantage of the open seat and slid in beside Eve, who listened to the tape as well, one finger curling a lock of her long hair absently.

Light stared at her as well as he could without attracting her attention; he was memorizing her face as it was concentrating, her eyes not quite narrowed, but darkened to a near emerald color as she thought whatever thoughts went on in her mind, occasionally a muscle below her eye would twitch in annoyance, the way she occasionally gnawed on her bottom lip, turning it a pale crimson color…

"This…these tapes don't match Kira's mo., it's not like him at all…" she mumbled before her eyes flicked to him so rapidly Light almost thought she'd caught him staring…not that she should be ashamed. "Ryuzaki, could there be a second Kira?" She suggested before turning her head to look at him.

"Impressive, Evangeline; I was thinking along the same lines. It sounds much more plausible though if someone else came to the same conclusion." Ryuzaki actually smiled, Eve nodded her body losing some of its nervous tension before glancing at Sam, who was devouring several cookies.

Light stepped on the jealousy that L had been able to soothe her.

"What about Light and Samantha? What do the two of you think about this?"

"Do mean a course of action or whether there may be a second Kira?"

"Both, preferably." Sam wiped her mouth with her sleeve and thought hard.

"Well, there may be a second Kira, or it could possibly be the original trying to trick us. Maybe he thinks that we'll pursue the other, but instead just trying to catch smoke?" She suggested hesitantly.

Eve grinned; that was Sam's suspicious nature shining through her annoyance and masks. But it's a great suggestion nonetheless; it's a new outlook when everyone is throwing out ideas and it's something that no one thought of yet. For all any of them know, it's what really is going on.

"That is an interesting suggestion, Samantha; however, I don't believe it's correct…" Sam sighed; disappointed that she couldn't be of use and more than a little jealous that Eve may be right. "If it were the real Kira, he wouldn't prove his powers by killing unimportant newscasters, even if he was trying to masquerade as someone else. This Kira is a fake; any suggestions on how to handle this new problem? how about you Samantha?"

Sam pulled nervously as her collar, her mind working a mile a minute.

"What if we pretended to be Kira, and tried to manipulate him, and tricked him into obeying us?" She finally mumbled, wincing at how pathetic it sounded.

Ryuzaki and Light both mulled it over in their minds; one from the point of view as a detective, the other as a guilty murderer.

Light immediately realized that Ryuzaki would most likely assign him the task, and he could probably work his real intent in some code that only the other Kira would possibly know…but then, what if Ryuzaki monitored it…forget that, the nosy detective would most definitely check and edit the message…no, there had to be a way to get his meaning across.

"That's a great idea Sammy!" Eve grinned, but sighed as Sam gave her a decidedly cold glance.

Apparently flattery _doesn't_ get you anywhere…

The rest of the team, while they had been in the room, felt very out of place as the four geniuses talked; they hadn't been able to offer anything _nearly_ as helpful to the suggestion pool.

"Light, Evangeline, do you think that between the two of you, you could perhaps came up with a reply from 'Kira'?" Ryuzaki asked; Eve smiled a bit.

Light looked at her reaction in surprise.

"Why the smile?"

"It's nothing, Light. What do you say; Partners in crime?" She asked, extending a hand. Light didn't hesitate to shake it; any physical contact with Evangeline sent shivers of pleasure through his body, and it felt amazing; he'd never experienced sensations like that.

Then there was the insinuation of being partners in crime…

For a split second, Light allowed himself to imagine Evangeline at his side; helping him rid the world of its filth, creating a new one, finding more names, becoming his goddess, his queen…

"Light?" Eve snapped her fingers in front of his eyes, making him jump back and stare at her with a surprised look. "You were spacing out for a second…you alright?"

"Sorry, got lost for a second." He was mortified to realize all eyes were on him, and he couldn't fake the realization that he was embarrassed.

"It's fine. You looked awfully happy, though." Eve giggled, the corners of her eyes wrinkling as she grinned.

Ryuzaki and Light discovered two things simulateously

1. Light discovered Eve's grin.

2. L decided that he **did not** like how Eve smiled at Light, and not him.

Even though Sam was furious with Eve, even she couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic at the stunned looks on the two men's faces.

The first time Eve ever turned that grin on her, she had been shocked into stunned silence.

Nobody expected that a smile like that could be a weapon, but Sam was privately convinced that the most heartless of men would melt into a useless, submissive puddle at Eve's feet.

And the funniest thing about it was that Eve had no clue how dangerous it could be.

"So, how do you want to go about the letter?" Eve asked lightly, ignoring the stares.

Sam rolled her eyes, barely concealing any jealousy only to turn and see Ryuzaki standing directly behind her, her gaze caught and held fast by his blatant, trademark vacant stare.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Sam snapped, irritable about the whole situation.

"You're aware that Evangeline was thinking about what was best, yes?"

"That doesn't mean I can't be pissed off Ryuzaki."

"Just don't let your temper tantrum interfere with the investigation." Ryuzaki's expression didn't change, but Sam was certainly familiar with the angry glint in his black eyes.

"It is not a tantrum!" Sam protested.

"You refuse to see reason, or acknowledge that she tried to do what was best. Eve apologized to you as well, didn't she?" Sam blushed, and looked away, guilt gnawing at her stomach.

Ryuzaki watched Eve and Light write out the message, even as he spoke with Matsuda and Aizawa; something about the way that the man acted around Eve didn't sit well with him.

Ryuk watched all of them, without Light's knowledge.

_Oh, this is interesting…_ he mused to himself, stifling a laugh.

-(Line)-

"If we do't omit the part about killing L, I'm going to wind up dead." Eve laughed nervously as Light apologized.

"Edit as much as you'd like, we got a little bit too into the part, I suppose."

Samantha tapped her on the shoulder and motioned for her to follow as they talked; Eve walked away with her, knowing that she wouldn't be missed for several minutes at least, if they hurried.

Sam leaned against the hallway, and Eve waited, knowing from experience that she wanted to speak first.

"Look…I…sorry…" Sam said gruffly, heat rising to her cheeks.

"For what?" Eve was honestly confused.

"Being a bitch?" Sam offered. "I know that you were just trying to help, and I shouldn't have pretended that it wasn't something I know you'd never ordinarily do."

There was silence for a second, before Eve grinned down at her; as if nothing had happened, she reached up and patted Sam's cheek. It was so normal and unexpected that Sam blinked in surprise.

"Relax. I'd be pissed off if I were you too. Just…next time, at least hear me out, kay?"

"Deal." They shook on it.

Then went back into the room, side by side, smiling amusedly.

**Ta-da! Next chapter is Misa's entrance! How will things between Eve and L work out? Or will she succomb to Light's charm? Review and maybe I'll go on.**


	8. Misa's Arrival

**Everyone, I may or may not run into a serious case of writer's block very soon. I am only guessing because something has happened in my family, and things like that are bound to happen. A very close family member of mine has passed away. They've been sick for a long time, and they're…not in pain anymore. My family is just now trying to reassemble our lives and attempting get everything back together, so writing these fics, while they're a great stress relief, certainly aren't top priority.**

**Please review and be patient with me. I promise I'll work as hard as I can to continue, but I just can't guarantee anything at this point. I'm sorry to those whom I've offended, but family comes first. I'll do what I can, that's all I can say, I hope you all understand, and I'm sorry if the tone is different or is a bit off, just don't expect it to be the same for the time being. Thank you in advance for your patience, everyone.**

**And in this week's chapter: Misa strikes a deal with Light, and meets both L and Eve, how will the two react? And, we finally reveal Sam's mystery man… dun dun dun! Long chapter, today, be warned!**

"Misa, why are you angry?" Rem asked the girl in disguise as she glared.

"That girl beside Moon (A/N: for those of you who don't know, Light's name is read with the kanji for moon, so that's what Misa thought his name was until she looked him up on the internet. Thought you ought to know :P)…there's no way they're just friends! Look at how she's hanging on him!" Misa fumed. "What a whore."

Across the street, Eve struggled to walk in her new high heels; in order to prevent a rolled ankle; she clung to Light's arm occasionally, as she tripped up. For his part, Light had no complaints about it, and was, in fact doing a mental happy dance (A/N: I despise light but the thought of a chibi Light doing a happy dance…just adorable!) as he chatted with the group. Matsuda hung back with Sam, talking about nothing in particular.

"Would you like me to kill her for you?" Rem offered, reaching for her own notebook.

"No…no, it might just drive him away from me. I'll show Kira why I should be his. I'll make him see reason. Let's go home, Rem." Misa hissed, standing up.

"How on Earth are you going to fit this girl into your plans, Light?" Ryuk joked, never taking his eyes off Kira and his to-be queen. Or so Light had assured him in private.

Of course, Light couldn't reply.

"I mean, she's nice, but I never thought she'd catch your attention! All the girls you've gone out with, even for your cover, worshiped you, practically, and you're not even a 'god' yet, but she really doesn't know the real you, does she?" Ryuk sneered, staring down at the said woman with contempt.

Evangeline Evers…

Light had actually looked her first name up out of curiosity; it was so foreign, so strange…it made his lips tingle when he spoke it, and he had been amused by the meaning behind the name;

Bringer of Good News…

"What's so funny, Light?" Eve asked, watching him.

"Nothing, just thinking about your name." She sighed.

"What about it?"

"It's nice." Eve blushed, and looked straight at him, her eyes wide and innocent.

Her mother had thought that her name suited her, and she'd always gotten a few titters and giggles from the snarky girls at school, and amused glances from boys, on top of confusion from the teachers.

There were only a handful of people who'd ever complimented her name before.

"Thanks…I like yours too." Did she know how adorable her blush was?

At that moment, Misa caught Eve's eye from across the street; the brunette paused and stared at the other in her school uniform.

It was like some unspoken battle between the two, one that Evangeline had no clue what about.

"Eve?" Light asked, looking back at her.

She shook her head.

"It's nothing."

"Come on then. Taro, Sam, you're gonna get lost in the crowd!" Light shouted behind them, Eve glanced back and saw them having a good natured argument, lagging behind; So much for the investigation.

Eve laughed, and made small talk with one of the other girls present; one she vaguely recognized from campus. She felt in a generous mood today.

Even if they didn't find this fake Kira, it was a nice day; the sun was out, she was hanging out with two people, technically 4 (Matsuda was so sweet, and L was sure to be watching on hacked surveillance equipment), she valued as friends. Today was good.

-(line)-

Sam locked her apartment door behind her with a deep sigh that reached from the bottom of her toes.

They must've walked 6 or 7 miles today for that stupid investigation about the second Kira, and by god, no one had found a damn thing. Sam's feet were sore, her head hurt, her blood sugar was low and damn it she needed her jam fix right fucking now.

There was a small noise in the kitchen, and Sam froze, listening as hard as she was able.

The hairs on the back of her arms and neck rose, like she'd experienced a puff of cold air. There was no more noise, but Sam grasped the heavy glass figurine that Eve had given her as a birthday present some time ago and made her way towards the kitchen, making no noise.

Slowly, she walked past the small, hallway closet and glanced into the kitchen, only to feel a large spike of anger.

There was a jar of her good jam, the expensive one, saved for extremely good news; the jar was open, on its side on the linoleum floor, its contents splattered on the ground.

"Oh hell no," Sam hissed; indignant anger clouding all thoughts of self-preservation. "Who ate my fucking jam?!"

Then there was a knife pressed to her throat.

"Boo." A voice whispered; it was childlike almost, even though it was low pitched and seemed…off.

Sam leaned back into the chest of her 'attacker' and smiled up at him, nicking the tender skin on the throat, causing a thin line of blood to rush to the surface.

"I said you could stay at my house. Not eat my jam. Especially not the good kind." He chuckled and let her go.

"I'll clean up the mess, Sam. I won today!" He giggled as Sam turned to face him.

His pitch black hair was strangely unkempt, but the most fascinating thing about him was not the strange detachment in his brown eyes, eyes that almost seemed red in some lights, or the fact that he had the most morbid sense of humor. The strangest thing about him was the uncanny resemblance to one Ryuzaki, also known as L.

"You're not sorry at all and you know it, so don't say otherwise, B." Sam teased, leaning up on tiptoes to kiss his nose.

Beyond Birthday smiled, and leaned his neck down to the cut on her neck. Sam's breath hitched as he calmly lapped up the blood and soothed the injury with his tongue.

"True." He admitted, arms wrapping around her waist as she grinned. "How did the investigation go?"

"My team wandered through Aoyama all day, and not a single thing happened! I'm so tired, and I have to go to the Tokyo Dome tomorrow for the next leg." Sam whined eyes sparking with annoyance and fatigue.

"He always was on the sadistic side…" B muttered, pulling her back into the living room until they were on her battered couch, her splayed on top of him.

Sam giggled and kissed down his jaw gently. "No, B, that's you."

"Point taken."

While Eve's apartment was pleasantly cluttered and homey, Sam's apartment was remarkably…spare, in a messy kind of way; there wasn't much in the way of personality. There were no pictures or decorations, and the furniture was secondhand. Balled up paper, pencils and wrappers from food littered the carpet. Sam wasn't slovenly so much as she didn't really care. The only rooms in order were the kitchen, bathroom and her bedroom.

Beyond didn't seem to mind the mess so much; he'd been sleeping there for 4 days, and Sam had begun to notice that in between the mental games that they played together on one another, her apartment was slowly being cleaned by the serial killer that was living there.

Call Sam crazy, but she'd been fascinated by the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases from the get go, and had immediately applied, as soon as she was able, to interview him for an English Lit. paper when she was a junior.

Everything about that interview made Sam question all she knew about society, about justice, about her life. Later, Beyond had admitted that he had done it on purpose, tried to get into her head. They'd written each other from that point on; Sam told him everything, every single detail about her days and her friends. Sam told him about Eve. Beyond had apparently taken a liking to the strange outlook on life that Samantha had.

So, when she wrote to tell him that this would be the last letter, Beyond Birthday had immediately devised a plan to fake his death. Of course, with Kira killing criminals, it became rather simple. It was all a matter of controlling his heart rate, and using what he could remember of his medical knowledge.

It was almost disgraceful how easily the idiots in the medical wing of a high security prison are willing to diagnose you as dead of cardiac arrest. From there it was a matter of identity theft, until he was able to catch sight of Samantha walking home from campus.

Now, there they were; the monster unable to love, being loved by one of the quirkiest girls alive, and unsure how he felt about it.

But Sam was content to allow him to use her; as long as he let her love him.

It was a strange arrangement for two strange people.

(line)

Light closed the door behind him and stared at the small blond standing on the steps, looking almost nervous in the streetlights. Her pigtails looked almost ridiculous when coupled with the black leather corset tank she was wearing.

"G-good evening! I'm Misa Amane, and I have this…?" She held out a black notebook with strange writing across the front, but there was no mistake.

She had a Death Note.

Light's expression darkened, before taking the notebook in his hands. He wasn't surprised to see the white shinigami behind Misa, looming like a phantom.

"Come in." He offered stiffly, she smiled, toeing off her shoes inside and following her God up the stairs to his room. "Mom, could you bring up some tea?" Light called absently to his gawking mother and sister at the bottom of the stairs. His mother grudgingly accepted.

Light's mind raced a mile a minute, trying to figure out as best he could what the childish looking blond wanted; and would he have to kill her?

Misa sat in his desk chair and faced him.

_There's no doubting that she's the 2__nd__ Kira, or that she knows, the police message was just a while ago…it's not possible for her to have made a deal with them yet…But why come to my house? What's she hoping to accomplish? But what can I do with her? She seems useless, but she has a Death Note and she knows my name…I'll have to observe her for now. _Light reasoned, his cold eyes locked on her.

"How did you know?" Light demanded. Misa grinned and laughed.

"I knew it! You didn't make the eye trade, I mean. If you make the trade, you can't see the lifespan of other Death Note owners, only the name." Misa explained.

"Wow, I didn't even know that little detail." Ryuk admitted from his place in the corner.

"Misa is telling you the truth, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to identify you in Aoyama, isn't that right?" Rem confirmed, a little behind Misa. "I even told her she shouldn't reveal her real name to you, but she didn't want to lie."

"But if you had been caught by the police-"

"But I wasn't." Misa interrupted. "And if you tell me what to do, then we won't be. I'll be your ally; I'll be your eyes. Just take me to meet L, and I'll see his name and I'll kill him for you, if you want." Misa offered strongly, her cerulean eyes pleading and pathetic as she gripped her purse in a crush grasp. "So…" She trailed off, blushing.

"So?" He repeated, a little anxious; what would this girl want for such a price?

"Make me your girlfriend." Misa finished, nodding self-righteously.

Light felt like all the breath had been knocked out of him; this…this idiot wanted to be his girlfriend? That was all? But…the deal bothered him; the threat on his life took precedent, but…

Light just couldn't see this blonde moron at his side as Kira. It felt sick, like he was betraying Evangeline.

"T-that's impossible, Misa." Light tried to play on the safe side, being as gentle as possible and logical at the same time. "Listen, that day in Aoyama, there were 3 times as many security cameras as usual. If you went to Aoyama, then you were certainly caught on camera. So was I. If we were suddenly together…this is bad enough now. Understand?" Misa's face darkened, and her mouth turned to a scowl. Then her face eased.

"Look," she pulled two pictures from her purse. "When I went to Aoyama, I wore a wig, and different make-up." Light had to admit, she thought ahead.

"And the tapes that you sent in to the TV station? They had fingerprints. If the police investigate you, they'll nail you for the Fake Kira in a second."

"They aren't mine." Misa admitted, and then proceeded to explain about her friend making the copies.

"And the friend?"

"Why are you so suspicious? If you want me to kill her, just say so and I'll kill her!" Misa snapped, before taking a deep breath.

Misa wasn't the brightest, she would admit that, but she knew that she needed to stay in control. Losing her temper could only get her into trouble; now she was in the big leagues. "If…if you can't trust me, then here," she thrust the notebook out to him. "Take my notebook and you can kill me at any time." Rem's gaze narrowed but she didn't interfere yet. Misa knew what she was doing. "If you just hold onto it, I still get my memories, because I'm the true owner."

"How do I know that you didn't just remove several pages?" Light demanded; he was desperate now and looking for any way not to agree to this moron's demands. But, a part of him was certainly curious as to why one girl would go so far.

Misa face, while excited but reined in, instantly turned red, as she lost what control she had.

"I've never thought of using it like that! You can tell if there are pages missing! Besides, that notebook has no other purpose than killing people, isn't that right?"

"True," Light's control gradually strengthened; he was certain that she wouldn't be able to understand what went on within his mind, even as he explained the uselessness of writing about falling in love with her, and useless monikers.

Misa felt sick; this wasn't going the way that she planned; and she was beginning to feel the actuality of the situation push down on her.

"I don't care if you use me! Please, just…just believe me…" Her voice cracked; memories she'd tried to force away washed over her, and suddenly she wasn't Misa-Misa the rising model, the second Kira; a beautiful woman with her life before her, full of promise.

Once again, just like in her nightmares, she was just Misa Amane, the teenage girl who felt absolutely helpless as her parents were killed and her life torn away from her, leaving her with nothing left. A young girl who had no control of anything.

"How are you able to say that?" Light couldn't hide the awe and shock in his voice, or the surprise as Misa's legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor, trembling.

"My…my parents were killed last year by a burglar in front of me…I couldn't forgive the burglar, and wanted to kill him myself. But I was weak and wasn't able to do anything. The…the trial lasted a long time, it kept getting delayed, and a rumor started that he was being wrongfully accused…and everyone worried that he would get off…" she took a shuddering breath and looked and Light; the tears were gone now, but it was obvious how difficult this was for her.

"But Kira punished him! Kira is…is my savior…"

Light sighed and met her gaze coldly; he had no patience for her, but he certainly could sympathize with her to a degree.

"You killed innocent police officers, how's that any different from the man who killed your parents?" Even for him, he admitted to himself later, that was a rather low blow.

"Don't say that…" Misa's voice sounded so broken, Rem wanted nothing more than to help her, but she couldn't. This was Misa's matter. "Please…please don't say that! To defeat evil, there must be sacrifices, isn't that right? How is that different from what you've done?" She asked, before closing her eyes. "Everything that I did…I did it just to meet you."

There wasn't anything left to do; Light was stuck with Misa until he could get rid of her. But she wasn't quite as stupid as he thought; she'd avoided the police, hid her prints and changed her appearance temporarily when going to look for him in Aoyama.

Light kneeled on the floor and wrapped his arms around her, rocking her slightly, much like he had when Sayu was an infant and neither of his parents were unable to soothe her.

"I understand." He murmured to Misa, stroking her hair. "I can't become your boyfriend, but I can play the part. The half of your life you've given will be a valuable asset. Thank you, Misa." Misa sighed in happiness and nuzzled into his shoulder.

"Thank you. I'll do my best to make you love me, Light…"

From the corner, Rem couldn't help the feeling of foreboding that seemed to envelope her.

-(line)-

Misa eventually released him and smiled at Light, her face unusually angelic. "Just playing the part is enough for now, but I'm sure you'll love me eventually." Light felt violently sick at the thought of loving this idiot…

"So, will you show me your shinigami?" Light agreed easier than she expected, and greeted Ryuk happily, and certainly more curiosity than Light had…but then again she knew what he was.

"Nice to meet you, Rem told me about you, Ryuk, right?"

"Yeah, nice to meet you, too." Ryuk grinned and waved a little bit.

-(line)-

In the investigation room, Eve was fighting the losing battle against sleep as Ryuzaki reviewed the tapes from Aoyama.

Aizawa left the room again, leaving the two alone as Eve struggled to keep her eyes open.

"You do not need to stay here at present, Miss Evers. If you would like to go home and rest you may do so and return in the morning?" Ryuzaki suggested, Eve smiled and shook her head.

"No, but thank you. I want to help."

"In an exhausted condition you'd be of little assistance."

"True, but it must get a little bit lonely, working by yourself, seeing things that no one else does. If nothing else, I'd like to at least keep you company."

Ryuzaki certainly didn't show it, but he was surprised. He'd worked with people, or through them, should he say?, but no one bothered to worry about whether or not he was _lonely_. Only Watari wondered about him in a light that didn't include the world's greatest detective. And, truly, he'd never considered that he would feel lonely. Why would he? He had work to do, constantly, and no time to think about such things.

"I've got no need for company." She laughed, and he looked at her. "What?"

"Well, have you ever had company? It's a pretty biased point of view you have, otherwise."

"Company constitutes a group gathering. I've been through them, but have never seen anything special about them." Evangeline stared at him, and raised an eyebrow, all traces of sleepiness gone.

"Ryuzaki…have you ever…had a friend?" Eve asked hesitantly; always a loner, she knew how sensitive a subject that could be.

"I have Watari."

"But what about a friend?"

"No, not that I recall. Why the sudden interest, Miss Evers?"

"Please just call me by my first name, Ryuzaki. It gets a little old being referred to so formally." Eve sighed. "How long do you think that it will take you to watch all those tapes?"

"I should be finished in the morning." Eve settled back in her chair, and watched screen, but, within 10 minutes she was dozing, knees pulled to her chest, lying on her side.

Watari entered several hours later with some sweets and found a blanket across the young woman, and a glass of water on the coffee table. He blinked, and smiled, before giving Ryuzaki a knowing smile.

Ryuzaki, however, seemed completely absorbed in the security tapes, and didn't look to have moved in the last several hours.

-(line)-

Light accepted Misa's drawing as facts, and stored this new knowledge away for a later date. He told her to get rid of what remaining evidence she had had; the tapes and envelopes were to be thrown away, after sending one last message to the Task Force, saying that she was going to find allies and 'spread the power', although that was just a bluff.

"So we're officially boyfriend and girlfriend now?" Misa asked eagerly, Light nodded, hesitantly. He knew instinctively that he wasn't going to like whatever next came out of her mouth. "Then I have conditions; first, 1 date a week."

Light stared, struck dumb. _Does she really not get it?_

"Misa, that's impossible-"

"Why?!" She demanded.

"I'm already under suspicion of being Kira."

"L's amazing…" Misa giggled, and Light was once again struck by the sheer stupidity of this young woman. She was complimenting their **enemy**.

"But because of that, I've gotten close to L-"

"So L and Kira are friends? That's so exciting!" Light ignored it.

"L figured out who I was, but not my weapon, and cornered me by telling his name. If I killed him then, I would be immediately arrested. He's got no evidence, but no other suspects have emerged, and I'm still suspect. Right now, I'm investigating with the rest of his team in order that he can keep an eye on me."

"You can't take me to L?"

"Not that simple. There's to much security. If I suddenly have a new friend and there's a change in how the two Kira's operate, then L will become suspicious immediately. We can't let on that we're close, do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I guess…so we can't go on dates, then? You don't want to see me because you're afraid of being suspect?" Misa's voice raised several octaves. Tears gleamed in her eyes again.

"Look, the best thing we can do is figure out a way for you to see L without it being suspicious. Until then, we can't do anything. But I need to keep up appearances."

"Wait…you mean you want to see other women?" Misa asked, before she stood up again, looking like she was ready to fly at him like some kind of a cat. "NO WAY! There's no way I'll let you see other girls, if I see that I'll kill them all." Her voice was a deadly whisper. Light grasped her shoulders.

"Misa, this isn't a game. We're risking our lives to make the world a better place, aren't we?"

"But Light is more important than the world." Misa explained smiling in an oddly empty way; her eyes were strangely dull, like she was lost in some thought.

"Misa, I have both notebooks, I could kill you now if I-"

"I won't allow that, Light Yagami." Rem interrupted, immediately silencing. She raised a finger, pointing at him. "If you kill this girl, I will write your name in my Death Note as well. I can see her remaining lifespan, and if she dies before it's up, yours will be up as well, understand?"

Light felt like he really was going to be sick, then; not only was he stuck with Misa as a Second Kira, but he also had to deal with her for the rest of her life…?

"Won't that kill you?"

"I'll do it anyway." Rem insisted, without changing her tone of voice; but her catlike eyes gleamed with conviction and determination, and from his spot in the shadows, Ryuk couldn't help but be a little envious of her; Rem had her own sense of justice and purpose. She knew why she was down here, knew why she was going to stay, and probably had an idea what she was going to do afterwards.

But Ryuk had only come down because of boredom.

Oblivious to the shinigami's troubles, Light agreed; what else could he do?

-(line)-

The next afternoon, Light entered Headquarters and was immediately greeted by the sight of Eve and Ryuzaki sitting next to one another, watching the video that Misa had sent; as Light was briefed on the situation, he felt scathingly angry at how close in proximity the two were.

"I believe that the two Kira's managed to get in contact, somehow…" Ryuzaki admitted to Evangeline, who curled a lock of hair around her index finger; a habit similar to the one that Near had, Ryuzaki noticed, amusedly.

"But you went over those tapes all night, and none of us in Aoyama saw anything suspicious either there or at the Tokyo Dome. How could they have met up?"

"What makes you think that?" Light immediately backed up Eve, who paid him no mind; although that only served to make him more than a little irritated.

"All of sudden his desire did a one-eighty? No, he's getting orders from behind the scenes, and he's passing judgment on criminals…why wouldn't the original Kira do it? Did he just not think about it? No, Kira met him and then ordered the meeting to be a secret."

"That's…pretty impressive, Ryuzaki." Eve admitted, feeling really stupid.

Ryuzaki bit into the doughnut she'd brought, feeling uncomfortably confused. Have the Second Kira threaten to back down wouldn't fit into Light's way of thinking. The logical way of assumption would make him less likely to be Kira, but…

Ryuzaki wasn't one to follow gut instincts in an investigation; he kept himself as detached as possible, but he knew that this was far beyond any normal case he'd ever been involved in. He was becoming emotionally invested in what happened. But his instincts were screaming at him that Light was Kira. They had been from the beginning. But what would make Light not act like himself? Could he have been in dire straits? Backed into a corner? Left without a choice?

Or was Ryuzaki wrong flat out?

"Ryuzaki, I wouldn't do that if I was Kira." Light offered quietly, making Ryuzaki turn to look at him.

"Why?"

"If I was Kira, I know L's personality, I know that you would never appear on television, it would be useless to threaten you." Light explained, more nervous than usual.

Eve gnawed on her lower lip.

"Don't talk like that, Light." Mr. Yagami begged. "I can't bear to think of you as Kira, it's sickening."

"I'm only saying those things because I'm not, Dad." Light laughed, as Ryuzaki reached for his coffee.

"Yes, it would be such a shame if Light turned out to be Kira," Ryuzaki admitted. "Because Light is my first ever friend."

Eve's throat tightened, and she stared at the dark haired detective in shock; after the hours that she'd put in, often putting off her homework until the last minute, the food, the conversations…he didn't view her as even a friend?

Rejection was nothing new to Eve, not at all; she'd been rejected by her peer group until her freshman year, when she changed schools and then met Sam because of it. She was rejected by her aunt and uncle, even…

"You're a good friend, too, Ryuzaki." Light admitted, begrudgingly, before glancing at Evangeline; her face was bone white, making her eyes stand out that much more. "I miss you at school, we should play tennis again." Light smiled, Ryuzaki nodded.

"Thank you."

-(line)-

Later that night, after he'd managed to send Misa off again, Light lay thinking in bed about Ryuzaki.

How was it possible for him to decipher what had taken place behind the scenes? That wasn't just intelligence, Light concluded, it was like some kind of psychic ability, almost.

But it didn't matter, because Rem was going to kill L for him anyway. And then there would be no one left to oppose Kira. And he would certainly find a way to get rid of Misa, he'd just have to get Rem in a position where she would have to give her life.

_Easier said then done…_ Light thought to himself, rolling over.

-(line)-

The Task Force was talking together quietly, this time including Eve as Ryuzaki went over what clues were left.

Eve was rather quiet this evening, she was worried; Sam had been shut up in her apartment for several days; when she'd called, Sam had said she had the flu and that she'd be back as soon as it was possible, but not to worry.

"Mr. Yagami, if I die within the next several days, your son is Kira." Ryuzaki interrupted.

"But, Ryuzaki, you said that the new message ruled him out as a suspect!" Matsuda exclaimed, looking weary and frayed.

"I said that it decreased the chances."

"Why are you telling me this, Ryuzaki?" Mr. Yagami asked, his voice tense, and Eve knew instinctively that he was struggling not to lose what was left of his temper.

Poor guys, they were all on their last nerves.

"If something happens to me, I expect you to be able to keep the investigation going and find evidence against your son. I trust you will be able to that. You will have Watari at your full disposal if you need him." He went back to sorting through the bags of evidence that had been pulled by forensics from the tapes.

Eve chuckled a bit; "I think that was Ryuzaki's way of leaving a will."

-(line)-

Eve caught sight of Light with another girl she vaguely knew; Kiyomi Takada, the one other people called Miss To-Oh, several days later on campus. Her next class wasn't for another several hours, so she planned on going to the library.

She debated about heading over and interrupting the date, only to be absolved of her dilemma when Kiyomi left him with a kiss on the cheek.

"So, that's your girlfriend?" Eve laughed, walking up to him. He blushed and looked away from her. "No, no, you've got good taste, Light."

Light opened his mouth to reply, only to be shocked into silence. Eve turned to look behind her and saw Ryuzaki approaching, a book tucked under his arm.

"Ryuzaki!" She greeted, he nodded. Light tried to make himself think the slight uplift in the corners of his mouth were only his imagination, but…

"What are you doing back here? I thought you only came for your work?" Well, at least she wasn't going to blab about the investigation to eavesdroppers.

"I rather enjoyed the college experience, and besides, Light told me that he had grown fond of my company while I was here." Ryuzaki ignored the way he desperately wanted to smile when she greeted him with that grin and that joy.

"Is it safe for you to be out?" _Please, Ryuzaki, just fucking leave…._ Light begged mentally, although he never lost the concerned façade.

"Since only you two know who I am than I am safe. Therefore if I die, I've told the Task Force to continue investigating you, Light." Eve felt bad for Light, the shock on his face was enough to get sympathy from the meanest of any old man, but she couldn't blame Ryuzaki's way of thinking. "Aling with the other L's."

"What?" Eve mirrored Light's confusion.

"Let's say that L is a group of investigators. I'm not the only one who calls himself L, you know." Eve doubted it, but without proof she kept herself quiet.

"LIGHT! THERE YOU ARE!" All three of them turned to see the blond Lolita Goth known as Misa approach. "I had a photo shoot nearby so I stopped by to see you. I have to leave soon, though." She grinned before locking eyes with Eve.

"Are these your friends? So cool, I'm Misa Amane, Light's girlfriend." Eve felt like laughing; Light was a player!

But her mother told her never get involved in a situation like that, so she wouldn't mention Takada to Amane. Although it could be great blackmail material.

"I'm Evangeline Evers, nice to meet you." Misa nodded. "I like your boots."

"Thank you! Although…you don't look like this is the kind of style you'd be into…"

Eve's hair was in a tidy ponytail, and she was wearing a lavender colored V-neck sweater, black jeans, and a white collared shirt under the sweater.

"I grew out of my rebellious stage a few months ago. There better ways of expressing yourself."

Misa forced herself to keep up the smile; she had suspicions about Eve, but there was nothing to found them on but the way she'd been clinging to Light's arm…although that was pretty incriminating.

"I am Hideki Ryuga." Misa opened her mouth only to be interrupted by Light.

"Isn't it weird Misa, he's got the same name as the pop idol! Though they don't look alike…"

"Yeah…" Misa remembered her job and smiled.

Ryuzaki took a step closer, his finger in his mouth.

"Light…" There was a moment of fear. "I'm so jealous. I've been a fan of yours since you appeared in the March issue of Eighteen."

Evangeline was really confused and looked to Light. Who looked in shock as well.

"Misa's a model…I just didn't expect Ryuga to know of her…" Eve shrugged.

Then the crowd showed up and Eve began feeling extremely claustrophobic as they all rushed in to talk Misa. Both her and Light hung back in the crowd.

"How's Samantha?"

"She's got the flu. I'm going to take her over some chicken noodle soup and things like that after my last class. Since it's a weekend, I think I'll just stay over there and help her get better."

"Do you often take care of Samantha like you do?" Light finally asked. Eve stared up at him in confusion.

"Huh?"

"From what I've observed, you always seemed to take care of Sam. Why? It seems like she's often angry with you." Eve frowned and looked away.

"I don't just take care of Sam…I like taking care of people. I'm a bit of a pushover that way. And anyway, I owe Sam a lot…she's really the closest thing to a sister that I've got…and Sam's got her own problems. The two of us understand each other, but…that doesn't mean we don't fight like other people…Sam's a real sweet girl once you get past her outer behavior."

"Misa! We have to get back!" A haggard woman that Eve guessed was Misa's manager shouted, immediately dispersing the crowd.

"Bye everyone. Bye Light," she leaned up on tiptoes to kiss Light on the cheek, before running off.

Eve laughed. "She seems nice, Light. I have to get to the library, so I'll see you back in investigations. Bye Ryuga."

Ryuga watched her walk off with an unreadable expression in her eyes.

"You're in love with Evangeline, aren't you Light?"

"What? How would you get that kind of an idea?" How the hell did he figure it out?

"You're as close to open as anyone can get, or should I say, you can get, whenever you're around her and she asks you something. Don't worry, I'm not going to tell Miss Amane. I must leave as well, Light."

Light began to dial Misa's number as he walked away, only to hear it coming from Ryuzaki's pocket.

"Not funny, Ryuzaki."

"I found this in the crowd. I assumed someone dropped it." Light could have screamed.

Next, Ryuzaki's phone range, and he answered immediately, confirmed that someone did something. Something told Light that whatever came next wasn't good.

"I have good news and bad news all in one, Light." Ryuzaki finally told him, hanging up. "Misa Amane has been arrested on suspicion of being the second Kira."

**There we go. Not too bad, I think. Please review, I enjoy the comments. Thank you to everyone who's added this to their favorite stories listing, it's the best compliment I can get, knowing that others like this. The comments are really piling up, and I'm so happy. Love you all!**

**Sorry that this was so long everyone…wow, over 6,000 words in this chapter…-.- total accident, I promise.**


	9. Sam's Issues

**Chapter 9 is up now, people! Please enjoy the fruits of my labor! Review once finished, please! Reviews are so very appreciated, please.**

Eve shifted the large container of soup, and the paper bag full of ice creams, crackers, movies and several bottles of juice in her arms as she knocked on the door that belonged to Sam.

"Who is it?"

"It's Eve, Sammy. I brought you some stuff since you were sick, and I figured I'd check up on you."

"No thanks, Evie, I've…I don't want you seeing me like this."

"Sam, I've dealt with my bratty cousin while he had the stomach flu for the weekend and his parents were halfway across the country at some kind of convention. Nothing you've got is worse then that, alright?"

"Look, Evie, thanks so much but…just go home, please?"

"Sammy, so help me, I'll kick that damned door down if you won't open it." Eve threatened, dead serious.

Behind the door, Sam tried to buy some time as Beyond climbed out the fire escape to hide out on the roof; every time that Eve came over she'd clean the apartment like a whirlwind, and she'd be sure to stumble onto him in the midst of it.

Despite the…fondness that Beyond felt for her, Sam was certain he'd quench his bloodlust on her best friend, even knowing who she was. And Sam adored Evie more than the dark haired woman would ever know, but she didn't know what she'd do if that situation ever came about.

"Give me half a second, Evie!" Sam shouted, hurrying to the bathroom; she mussed up her hair, rubbed at her eyes and threw on the pajams from that morning, along with the thick, fluffy bathrobe and bunny slippers.

She quickly gargled some mouthwash and then rinsed, and gave herself a glance in the mirror; she looked like she was just recovering from a nasty cold. Perfect.

"Sam! I have ice cream and it's gonna melt if you don't let me in!" Sam sighed, and rushed as well as she could, making sure there were plenty of tissues stuffed into her pockets.

Finally, Sam unlocked the door and let her in.

"I can't stay long, Sammy. I just brought you some stuff to keep you entertained. It's got to be tough being sick. But if you want I can warm you up the soup, it got a little cold."

"What did you bring?" Eve grinned at the curious tone in Sam's voice.

"A few magazines, some horror movies, a couple comedies and some snacks. I brought you ice cream, chocolate and your favorite strawberry jam, as well as your chicken noodle soup, and a couple other goodies…" Sam couldn't help but smile; Evangeline was a mother hen and a caregiver through and through.

"Thanks so much, Evie. You're a doll!"

"No problem, sweetie. I figured that if you're sick enough you won't even go out, you're probably miserable. And you were bound to have worked your way through the stacks of movies you have squirrelled away in your closet." Sam giggled and hugged Eve.

"How's the investigation going?"

"Well, another tape was sent by the second Kira; Ryuzaki thinks that the two met up and the second one is following the original's orders. And Light's girlfriend was arrested-"

"Whoa, whoa, hold up!" Sam interrupted, her eyes widening. "Light's got a girlfriend?"

"Two." Eve said slyly. Sam squealed, grinning insanely.

"Light's a playboy! Who are they?"

"Kiyomi Takada and Misa Amane, the one that was arrested." Sam's mouth actually dropped open.

"Shut the hell up, no way!" Sam gasped, giggling.

Eve frowned and leaned in closer, sniffing experimentally. The smell of jam… it wasn't unusual, but it was a different brand than the kind that Sam liked, normally.

Come to think of it…

Eve realized the apartment…was…rather clean.

Something was up, and Eve knew it as well as she knew that Johnny Depp made a drop dead sexy psychopath in Sweeney Todd. Despite her careful steps to hide it, the evidence was pretty clear to someone who knew Sam. Sam wouldn't tidy her apartment of her own accord unless she was at gunpoint, and even then it was a stretch.

"Is that why you can't stay?" Eve quickly got her mind back on track.

"Yeah, I need to get back to the investigation as quickly as possible, but you come first, Sammy." Sam grinned, before faking a cough that would have had most people without medical knowledge rushing to her medicine cabinet for cough syrup. But Eve, with her medical and science bent brain was suspicious.

"Is your throat sore? It doesn't sound like the flu, there's no fluid in your chest, I don't think." Damn Eve and her cleverness!

"Most of the infection is gone, but you know, the cough is sticking around." Sam was quick to explain. Eve didn't look convinced, but didn't press the issue. Yet.

"Mhm. Okay…do you need me to do anything? Otherwise I gotta go."

"No, I'm fine, Eve, tell Ryuzaki I'll be back tomorrow. I'm almost completely better now, I just wanted to make sure I was okay. Thanks so much for the goodies, by the way, they're really appreciated." Eve nodded.

"Alright, I'll call you later to check up on you, Sammy. See you tomorrow." They hugged each other very quickly and Eve petted her hair for a second.

She tried to think of a way to bring up the odd things around her apartment, but there was nothing she could think of. Sammy had the habit of getting defensive when it came to questions about her private life, and Eve really didn't want to set her off yet. It was probably nothing.

"Be careful, Sam." Then Eve left, leaving Sam worried.

If there was one thing that Eve was, it was clever; she also had a steadfastly loyal personality, to the point where it could be a fault. Eve may not know the specifics, but she'd be sure to figure out that something was going on behind her back. The only way to keep her from getting hurt would be to keep her as far from the apartment, or more specifically, from B, was the only option.

Sam waited 10 minutes before going up the fire escape to check on B.

She found the supposedly dead serial killer sitting on the roof, playing with his butterfly knife (she'd never ask where he'd gotten it). He was making thin slices into his arm, humming some strange little song off key.

"Is your annoying friend gone?"

"Hey, Eve isn't annoying. She just cares too much about people. Granted her timing was inconvenient…but she brought some junk food and movies for us."

"Perhaps she's subconsciously trying to buy your friendship?" Beyond suggested, Sam rolled her eyes and seated herself next to him, leaning into his side.

"No, Evie isn't like that; she just loves taking care of people, B. Maybe you should try it?" He laughed and grinned at her.

"I'm no caregiver, Samantha, and you know that as well as I. I'm a ruthless killer, certifiably insane, and I revel in bloodshed and in chaos. I adore causing it, I think about it constantly. There are times when I would love decorating that porcelain skin of yours in lovely crimson, and finding out if your insides are as lovely as your outside. I'm a monster. Do you feel safe, now that I've confessed?" Sam watched him, gaze calm and steady, drinking in every word, every sickening thought. She wrapped her arms around him and put her lips to his neck, inhaling deeply; the smell of blood, charcoal and jam, and a steely smell like that of sharpened knives, flooded her senses.

"Why wouldn't I feel safe, Beyond. I'm as much as monster as you…my…temper; Eve helped me contain it, and, hard as it is, sometimes I hate her for it." Sam smiled wanly and looked up into his red eyes, wide with surprise. "I hate having to contain what I want, just because I want to stay out of prison. I hate her for teaching me to be patient, and how to walk away from the fuckers who treated us like we were suffering from the plague. I hate her for forcing fucking meditation and that fucking nasty tea on me to keep calm! And those fucking weird meditation CD's and the yoga! Oh my god, fucking yoga!" Sam got more and more wound up, and listed more and more things she was pissed off about.

As she got angrier and angrier, and began sharing her own dreams, or what had once been her ideals; the bloody rages and desires that she used to want, Beyond realized exactly what had drawn him to Samantha.

It wasn't just that she was beautiful, or accepting, that she adored jam the same as him, or even that she had homicidal desires as much similar to his; it was all of those things and more. Somehow he'd managed to detect the uninhibited animal beneath that veneer she wore for the rest of the world; the part of her that clawed desperately for what she wanted, and took down whatever and _who_ever got in her way.

"If you hate Evangeline for taming you like she has, why not kill her? I'll even help you. Think of that skin, torn open, we could turn her into a bloody work of art…" Sam stopped at the words, and appeared to get sick.

Did she hate Eve?

For all of those complaints and petty rages, Sam didn't hate Eve at all. She wasn't like Beyond; she knew that she wasn't as careful as he was, if she tried the methods he had, then she'd surely be caught. Her rages, they didn't even count as tempers, really, had controlled her life. That and the overwhelming sadness that she was alone. Her only friends were her cousin and his husband.

Then came Eve; Eve with her wild hair, her bright grin and the way she'd always put up with her temper. The way she'd let Sam sneak in after she'd had a fight with her mom and her cousins weren't home. The way she'd put up with her on her sugar highs, and how she didn't care that Sam hated life itself for a long time and did her best to make her see the good in it.

"I couldn't kill her, Beyond. She's infuriating and my opposite, and…I can't hate her for that, B."

"You're so strange, Samantha." B chuckled nuzzling into her hair. Sam blushed but didn't move as he pulled her closer. "Fine, I won't kill her, although I wonder whether or not-"

"No more homicidal thoughts about Evie, please." Sam interrupted sweetly, making Beyond smile.

"Fine. I'll leave her out of my musings." He allowed, and Sam grinned cheekily up at him.

"Good. Now, I'm going to assume that you heard every word said about the investigation, am I right?" Sam finally questioned, peeking up at him. He grinned, nodding.

"Oh, I heard everything. So Lawli dear finally had prof on someone! Marvelous! Ooo, I'm going to need to make an appearance soon, Sam." He giggled but Sam stared at him in horror.

"But, B, what if…what if they take you away from me?" Sam whispered, and he looked at her in surprise.

"Oh, Lawlipop needs my help. He just doesn't know it yet. And anyway, I'm not going to introduce myself to the team, exactly, but I'm going to see him. I'll persuade him, of course, and they won't take me away."

"I'll get arrested for helping you." She mumbled, pouting.

"If you don't act like you know me then you won't. I'll be careful, you won't be involved." Sam sighed; he had his mind made up and there was nothing that she could do to change it.

"Alright, but promise me that you'll think this through, Beyond. Please?" He nodded, and Sam was silent, satisfied that he wouldn't lie to her about something so important.

-(line)-

"Um, Ryuzaki…not that I condone Kira, but don't you think that's a little overboard?" Eve hesitantly asked him.

"It would be if there wasn't evidence, Eve."

"Yeah, that's true; the pollen in the envelope, the cat hair, it all adds up." Matsuda defended, Eve bit her lip. She had no right to say anything; Ryuzaki ordered Watari to do whatever it took to make her talk, and Eve shivered. She'd watched documentaries of torture methods, interrogative techniques (both legal and otherwise), and the memories of the psychological and physical effects on the victims flooded her memory.

But, with one look from Ryuzaki, she held her tongue.

It was hard to see Misa bound in a straightjacket and blindfolded with something that looked like it belonged in one of the Saw movies.

Eve became more and more restless every day during the investigation, her temper snapped at the slightest teasing from Matsuda, who learned the hard way to leave her alone.

Eve decided that if nothing happened in 7 days, she'd say something Ryuzaki.

Misa lasted 3, without food or water.

"Ryuzaki, Miss Amane is talking!" Watari interrupted, immediately stopping the conversation and turning all attention to the monitors, which now had sound.

"Kill me…" Misa begged, twitching, Eve felt sick.

Sam had watched the whole thing in silence, not feeling any particular loyalty towards Misa at all. She noted with interest how the trembles were probably not just psychological but the lack of hydration as well. Something interesting to relay to Beyond, later…

"Kill me now, please, you can do it, can't you? Immediately?" Her voice, while quiet, held both conviction and shaky realization.

"Is she talking to us?" Matsuda wondered.

"Yes, kill me now, while I'm young and beautiful." Eve closed her eyes.

Ryuzaki spoke into the microphone; "Are you confessing to your role as the second Kira?"

"No…no, I don't know anything about that. I just…I can't take it anymore! Kill me!"

It was heart wrenching, watching her beg to have her life taken away. Even Sam felt the first stirrings of pity.

"IF YOU WON'T KILL ME, THEN I'LL JUST DO IT MY SELF!"

"Watari, don't let her bite down on her tongue!"

Eve closed her eyes.

This was absolutely insane.

-(line)-

Light entered the investigation room the next day, flanked by the rest of the investigators, looking remarkably calm; he had been banned from entering the headquarters until further notice, but apparently he had pressing things to tell Ryuzaki.

"I might be Kira." Eve couldn't help but feel sick at the look on Mr. Yagami's face; it was one of shock and disbelief; this must be his own version of hell.

"What are you saying, Light? It can't be true!" Mr. Yagami shook him by the shoulders, but Light didn't look dizzy or surprised. "Snap out of it!"

"Please calm down, Dad." Yagami regained control of himself and stepped away, breathing heavily.

From her corner, Sam put down her water and joined the gathering group, a little behind Eve.

"I spoke with Ryuzaki on the phone about this, that's why he's letting me in. If Ryuzaki believes that I'm Kira, then I probably am. Isn't that right?" Light looked to him for confirmation, along with the rest of the investigative team.

"Yes, I think that's a safe assumption." Ryuzaki stirred his coffee. "In my mind, Light and Kira are one. Thus I'm sure I'll be questioning him soon. Light is extremely intelligent and understands my way of thinking."

"The FBI agents, the people in Aoyama and the person Misa contacted, all of it points to me. If I was in L's position, I'd believe that I was Kira as well. So, while I'm not entirely conscious of it, I very well might be Kira."

Sam couldn't help it and burst out laughing madly, completely ruining the mood and the tension.

"So, you're claiming that a darker personality did it? Holy hell, that's the lamest trick in the book! The only thing *gasp* more cliché is copping an insanity plea! Hah!" Eve gave her a withering glare, but couldn't exactly blame her. She had a very good point Sam got her breath back and waved her hand dismissively. "Please just continue, pretend that I'm not here."

Light shook his head. "The word shinigami was left in both the first and second kira's messages, I don't believe in gods of death, but having the world's greatest detective convinced of my being guilty, I'm starting to not understand myself…I'm afraid…what if I'm losing my mind?"

_Then there'd be two nut jobs on the case…maybe three, there must a screw loose in Ryuzeki's brain…_ Sam thought scornfully, really, could the pretty boy get any cheesier? Who hadn't questioned their sanity at some point?

"I'm not conscious of it, but when I go to sleep, another version of me might do the work of Kira-"

"That did not happen." L interrupted, rolling his eyes, "there were 5 days when cameras were set up in your room," Light's eyes widened, "and in that time, nothing happened when you slept."

"During those 5 days, I didn't act as a shinigami?" The color drained from Light's face.

"No, not at all. You didn't gain any information on criminals who died. Ultimately, my conclusion was that you were not Kira. Now I am not so sure."

"So, that's it then? I'm Kira? What should I do?" Light closed his eyes and sighed. "I have to look at this objectively, and it seems very likely."

"It can't be, Light! You're thinking too much…"

"Listen, Dad, I have to be honest, and sometimes I do think it would be better if criminals were off dead, but not just criminals, other people, scum of the earth, deep inside, I wonder if it would be better if they were dead."

"But you aren't the only one, Light! I think that way all the time!" Matsuda protested, trying to help.

"Shut up, Matsuda." Eve spat, he immediately backed down, having no desire to be in the war path when she lost it again (he still had the bruises from last time).

"But the criminals continued to die even when he wasn't watching the news." Matsuda mumbled, looking sheepish.

Aizawa now stepped up to plate, looking like he was still in shock, strangely numb. "No, he still went to school and left the house. The fact is that we didn't have him under 24 hour surveillance. He very easily could have found the information some other way."

"I don't like how this is going, I admit, but if this is the way we're heading, we will keep Light restrained and under 24 hour surveillance and confinement for an undetermined amount of time. We will begin right now. Mr. Yagami is not allowed any contact with his son, and Light will have no access to any outside information. Light will not leave my sight until release." Ryuzaki conditioned, staring into his mug.

Light closed his eyes, but looked at Eve for a moment, meeting her gaze.

"I agree to that, Ryuzaki, on one condition. You will not release me until you are absolutely convinced that I'm innocent, no matter what I say or do. Alright?"

"Fine, Light."

"Wait a moment! This is too sudden, why should my son be put in a cell?"

"Dad, I'm doing this for myself!" Light interrupted, turning red. "I want to know for sure that I'm not Kira! Let me do this!" Mr. Yagami, unsettled by Light's outburst, stepped back and away from his pride and joy.

The constant suspicion on his son was finally taking its toll on him; he couldn't sleep without being haunted by nightmares of Light as a child behind bars, couldn't eat and his doctor was afraid that he might have a second heart attack and dear god, Light was about to be locked up!

"Aizawa, take Light to the other cell." Ryuzaki ordered.

"Ryu…Ryuzaki, can I please speak with you?" Eve asked, taking a deep breath.

The dark haired detective nodded and stood, indicating that she follow him. Over his shoulder he called to the others that they should stay put.

"What is it that you want to talk about, Evangeline?" There was a strong urge to shiver as he said her name.

"Ryuzaki, I don't think that I can continue to help with the investigation if you treat Light like Misa. Please, I need to know if you're going to do that."

"I would have thought that you'd be strong enough to handle this, Evangeline."

"Ryuzaki, Light is my friend, and if you're going to treat him like something out of a BDSM fantasy then I just can't do this."

"I assure you, Eve, Light will not be bound in the same way. He will be restrained though, can you handle that?"

Eve smiled and nodded, able to relax somewhat.

"Am I not your friend, Eve?" Eve froze and looked up at Ryuzaki in confusion.

"Of course, Ryuzaki. Did I say otherwise?" There was disbelief coloring her tone, and Ryuzaki shook his head.

"No you did not, but if you refer to Light with affection as you did just now, I wonder if friendship is just how you think of him." It took Evangeline a minute to gather herself an answer the question.

"For one thing, how I feel about Light shouldn't concern you, Ryuzaki. Two, why would it matter if I was crushing on him? How is it your business?" The angry undertones in her voice made Ryuzaki in turn all the more irritated with her.

"It is my business and concern, Evangeline, because our ultimate goal is to catch Kira. Light is the main Kira suspect, in case you do not recall. I only ask that you do not let your feelings get in the way of the investigation!" Eve looked at him with surprise; she'd never seen him angry. Hell, even during the Sakura TV incident he'd managed to keep calm while everyone else ran around like chickens with their heads cut off.

Maybe she should have expected it; something about her always had managed to get under people's skin, at first. Later, in school, she used it to her advantage when she wanted to be left alone. But Eve never would have expected it to be potent enough to aggravate Ryuzaki.

That didn't make it any less entertaining, though…

As much as she'd admit it, Ryuzaki looked surprisingly attractive when he was angry; his dark eyes almost glowed, his face was tense, jaw set.

Eve had never succumbed to her teenage hormones, had never felt anything more than a mild schoolgirl crush on anyone (the cheating boyfriend had only been interest, not love, affection, or anything similar), so realizing that she felt some amount of attraction for the detective was more than a little disconcerting.

Ryuzaki was having similar thoughts, however, he didn't realize it was attraction for the young woman that made him wonder about the texture of her dark mass of hair, or about the alabaster looking skin, or the way she'd often smile serenely, as if she was laughing to herself about something no one else could fathom, the silkiness of her lips, or if her body was as slinky as it looked-

What the fuck?

Ryuzaki mentally shook himself free of the monster clawing at his insides.

"Please excuse me, Evangeline, I must get back to surveillance." Ryuzaki pushed past her, leaving Eve alone and confused.

"What the hell just happened?" She wondered out loud, touching her hand to her forehead.

Sam however, took in the blank looks of them both later and the way they avoided one another and felt her heart stop.

They _liked_ each other!

**Alright, once more, I'm finished with this one! I'm so happy this is going so well, I've gotten farther with this story than any else. It makes me so proud! Please review, everyone! **


	10. Coming Clean

**Okay, I don't own Death Note or anything associated with it, just the oc's Eve and Sam, as you all know. I am so sorry this took so long to get done but I had problems with the innocent Light handling the incarnation period. As everyone will find out, I wound up winging it, so I hope you all forgive me and enjoy. Thank you for your patience.**

-(line)-

It physically hurt to look at Light when he was like this, Eve admitted to herself as she set down the large platter of fried chicken and the pineapple upside down cake on the coffee table.

Matsuda adored Eve's cooking, whether it was sweets or deep fried meat. He immediately grabbed one of the plates that Watari had produced and grabbed several wings and a thigh.

"You're spoiling us bringing us this food." Aizawa teased, she shrugged.

"Sorry, I was just brought up in a cooking family."

"What does that mean?" Matsuda questioned, she grinned.

"Well, my parents and grandparents were big on homemade meals, the less healthy the better; fried chicken, cookies, cake, the whole shebang. Food was a way that the family communicated, ya know? I mean, my grandfather taught me how to make Italian meatballs when I was 6…food was the one thing that brought everybody together, that's how my grandparents raised my Dad, so it rubbed off on him, and me too.

"Food's how I associate comfort and hominess, I guess." Evangeline was blushing by the end of it; her home life was always a tender subject for her, Sam knew most of everything, so never pressed for details, knowing Eve would tell her what had happened after her Aunt and Uncle had taken her in when she was ready.

Sam watched Ryuuzaki and Eve inconspicuously, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary with them, which was odd in itself.

Beyond had immediately begun concocting plans to lure Ryuuzaki into his temporary clutches, using Eve as bait; he had sworn that he wouldn't actually harm her, but he needed Ryuuzaki to honestly believe her life was in danger, or else he wouldn't listen to what B had to say.

Even if he owed B that much.

For the first few days, Light had sat remarkably still, and Kira was without action. Everyone began to suspect that Light really had been Kira; but the question then became, was he conscious of it. Poor Mr. Yagami had been worried about what he might do, and asked that he be locked up as well. Soon after that Light started mumbling to himself.

It was at that point that Eve considered just never coming back to headquarters.

"Light, it's been a week and no criminals have died yet. What are you trying to prove?" L demanded over the intercom.

By that time Light was looking haggard, and glared up at the camera.

"I know that I look pretty bad right now. This pride of mine…I have to get rid of it." He admitted softly.

Moments later, however, he looked even worse.

"Ryuzaki, you have to let me out of here!" His eyes gleamed, he strained against the handcuffs, thrashing wildly, knocking the bed back against the wall.

"I can't do that, Light-kun. You forced me to promise not to let you out until I was absolutely certain that you were not Kira, no matter what you said or did. Don't you remember?" Light looked like he was about to break, scratch that, shatter.

"THERE HAS TO BE A MISTAKE! PLEASE, I COULDN'T BE KIRA! THERE MUST BE A MISTAKE!" Against his better judgment Ryuzaki glanced back at Eve, and felt the stirrings of guilt turn his stomach over.

If she'd looked disturbed while watching Misa, and ill when Light was taken into custody, she looked like death warmed over now; there was no color in her face, save for the patches from her skin condition, which stood out now more than ever; her eyes gleamed more then they should against the pallid skin tone and dark hair. Her mouth trembled.

Sam put an arm around Eve, only to have it gently brushed away.

"Can you handle this?" Sam murmured to her friend. Eve nodded obstinately.

Day by day, it became worse for Light, until…

"KIRA'S BACK!" Matsuda announced, entering the room with a bang, startling the hell out of Sam, who'd just been dozing off.

"What?" Eve exclaimed, unable to fight the grin.

"He was resting! Look, he's back to punishing criminals again!" Before anyone could stop him, Matsuda told Chief Yagami over the intercom.

"Thank God…" The man looked like he was about to cry in happiness, and actually swallowed several times to get himself under control.

Matsuda paged Light's cell immediately, only to be roughly shoved out of the way.

"Ryuzaki-what?"

"Light, no criminals have died as of yet. Confess to being Kira."

Light looked like he'd been shot; he trembled, and Eve closed her eyes tightly.

"Ryuzaki, we can work together on this! Please, I'm not Kira!" He insisted vehemently before his voice broke. Tears actually streamed down Light's eyes. He didn't sob, but the tears leaked out steadily, and he rocked himself back and forth, whispering 'it has to be a mistake, It's a mistake', over and over to himself.

Light's mind frantically worked to figure out why this was happening. Why was he being framed? It made no sense.

He just wanted to go home. He didn't want to be a part of this anymore; he wished with everything that he had that he'd never heard of Kira, that he'd gone somewhere instead of To-Oh, millions of desires and fears crammed his brain.

God, what did his mother think? His father? Sayu; she'd idolized him, and how far he'd fallen. Then there was Eve…

Light wanted nothing more than to beg for her pardon. She must be disgusted with him. He wanted to tell her that there was no way this could be true, that it was a misunderstanding, that he wasn't a serial killer.

But, that led to other questions; why did he want to convince her that he was innocent so badly? It wasn't just for the sake of his reputation, or her image of him. It was a deeper desire, one that was stronger than the one to prove himself to his parents and sister.

Being the genius that he was, even in a less then collected state, Light realized what it was within a few minutes; he was infatuated with Evangeline.

Not in love though…it wasn't love; he'd never been in love, but from what he could tell, it was supposed to be an overwhelming intense desire to protect…and nurture and…holy hell he was in love with Eve.

Light had so little to think about that he was forced to think about that, or risk succumbing to the desire to sink into despair.

God, what had made him love her in the first place? The thing was…he couldn't rightly remember…

He vaguely recalled a tennis match, but it was like watching television with bad reception; the image was cloudy, filled with holes, and occasionally the sound cut out…but why?

Some instinct deep within him made him discard the question as soon as he wondered about it, instead focusing on trying to keep his sanity as his time alone stretched out.

-(line)-

Ryuzaki watched the 3 images on the screens before him; no one was in the room but him, which he was glad for. It gave him time to contemplate the case; and the emotional turmoil that he felt.

No one noticed, perhaps Watari had, but he had learned to let the detective settle himself by himself whenever possible, that Ryuzaki was beginning to feel the strain of this case wear on his mind on his body; he was tired nearly all the time, and had noticed that his very intelligence was no longer logical and backed by the evidence and patterns he'd been able to see before he realized he was seeing them.

Light was dead asleep in the bed provided in the cell; his face was turned to the camera, and he looked utterly peaceful; it was terrifying to think of what the being behind that face was capable of. Ryuzaki watched as his expression seemed to focus, his eyebrows coming together and mouth tightening.

Curious, Ryuzaki turned on the sound to the boy's room, listening carefully; Light sometimes talked in his sleep, as he'd discovered from his time surveillancing the Yagami household, and his current actions were telltale signs that he was dreaming.

For the next 20 minutes, Light tossed and turned, before Ryuzaki heard him utter a single thing, and that word made an unexpected feeling of rage almost completely overcome him.

"_Evangeline,"_ the teen mumbled, before burrowing his face into the thin pillow.

Ryuzaki sat there, deeply fighting the instinct to go and fight the teen.

But, that wasn't what worried him; no what actually frightened the genius was the desire to keep Eve to himself.

He pulled his knees tighter to his chest, contemplating that thought; he had never felt attachment to people, never had a desire to bond with anyone, with anything. His companionship with Watari had happened completely by accident, although he did now view him as a surrogate father.

This feeling; he felt both warm and cold at the same time, dreading and anticipating the young woman's return and hesitant glance at the screens. He both felt sickened and reveled in the lack of control being around her made him feel, and the fear that she had fallen for the charm in Light like so many else did.

-(line)-

50 days, Light was in captivity, and for 50 days, Evangeline pointedly ignored Ryuzaki as much as she could while working with him, and secluded herself for the most part.

Sam understood the process of Eve's mind and let her alone; when she got stressed, or too much was going on, Eve had a habit of unplugging herself, running on auto-pilot, almost, until she managed to sort things out. It was a kind defense mechanism from giving her an overload.

When they had first met and she'd seen her do that, Sam had been very worried about her friend, but when she snapped back to reality, Sam saw that she was better than before; relaxed, able to think clearly.

But the team was beginning to doubt the competence of Ryuzaki, and beginning to wonder about Eve's sanity. However, in the fashion of true 'elephant in the room', no one mentioned it; much to Ryuzaki's entertainment.

Finally, Ryuzaki had to admit that the investigation was going nowhere, and resorted to drastic measures.

"Evangeline, I need to speak with you." Eve looked up from the newspaper she was examining and stood. Sam smirked and watched them leave the room, before turning back to the screens. Matsuda glanced at her, but was confused.

_(line)_

"What is it that you want now, Ryuzaki?" Eve demanded, crossing her arms and meeting his empty gaze with a chillingly cold one.

"I understand that you are upset with me, Evangeline. I am sorry for our last…heated discussion. I didn't mean to offend you."

Eve waved a hand impatiently. "That's beside the point Ryuzaki. The investigation is going nowhere. Something's got to be done."

It was moments like that that took Ryuzaki's breath away; as soon as he'd become aware of the carnal desires, he'd kept an eye on them and what caused them. It was the moments when Eve lost her restraint, but kept her temper.

"I quite agree." Eve blinked and smiled, her Breathtaking smile; even Ryuzaki's heart stopped for a second; that smile was turned on _him_, because she was pleased with _him_. "I've already got a plan, but I need you to assist me with it."

"Is this going to leave me hurt?"

"Maybe."

"Mentally scarred and emotionally traumatized?"

"Quite possibly."

"Bring it on."

Granted, when Eve agreed to the plan, she hadn't been told about the whole gun being loaded with blanks thing.

The original plan had been to use Misa, but then Ryuzaki changed it up last minute (he'd never explained why) and put Eve in the middle of it. What they'd told Light was that she'd been incarcerated several days after him and his father. To prepare for this, Eve had worn some wrinkled clothes and let her hair get reasonably frizzy and stayed up pretty late the night before.

Eve had been beyond surprised when Light had hugged her tightly, then they were both handcuffed.

Eve had been told they were going to trick Light, and when she saw the gun, the first thing that had gone through her mind was, _Holy hell Ryuzaki's finally cracked and I'm going to die under an overpass!_

It had been sweet, though, Light screaming at his father not to hurt her.

Then came the revelation about the blanks in the gun.

Light was enraged, and Eve was torn between confusion and anger; why hadn't Ryuzaki just told her the plan?

"_So, Light, what do you say? Will we work together?"_

"Yes, let's catch Kira together!"

_(line)_

Afterwards, Eve had been hugged again by Light, and this time she returned it.

"I'm so glad you're alright." He'd whispered, burying his face in her hair. Eve smiled a bit.

"I'm sorry about lying to you, Light." She mumbled, letting go, but he gripped her upper arms gently.

"Don't worry, you were only doing your job." She smiled a bit, and realized something.

_He…he looks so different…_

"You…I'm sorry you had to see me so desperate, Evangeline."

"No, no Light-"

"LIGHT!" A loud, overjoyed voice shouted.

Misa launched herself at Light, and Eve smiled tenderly.

"I'll just leave the two of you alone."

_(line)_

_Soft skin, smooth as silk, and hair dark as midnight; eyes flashed, and heat rose. Her hair spilled over her pale skin like a waterfall of liquid night. Eve smiled, eyes lighting in carnal joy._

"_Tell me, Lawliet, what is it that you want from me?" Her voice was low and rough, but still surprisingly innocent, even in the midst._

_His heart pounded; she'd said his __**name**__, his real name. And it had never sounded so beautiful._

"_Evangeline, you, how did…what's -"_

_She smiled seductively and suddenly sighed. "Sorry, but it's time to wake up."_

Ryuzaki jolted awake, feeling sweaty, hot and filthy.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_ He wondered, ignoring the heartbeat that sounded like a drum in his ears.

He closed his eyes, trying not to acknowledge the images from his dream, to force away the desires for her.

"Watari, I need to speak with you." Ryuzaki finally called out, and the old man entered the dark room.

Time to come clean.

**I'm a little disappointed with how this turned out. I admit, it isn't one of my best chapters, but I'm trying as hard as I can to finish this. Thank you for your patience, and review if you'd like. If you have any suggestions, message me. **

**I'm working on a new story, a Yu Yu Hakusho story, that will be posted rather soon, I'm working on the second chapter. It's called **_**Reborn**_**, and I think it'll be a bit interesting, so I'm doing some advance advertising. Check it out when it's up!**


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